Stephen Parrish

Philadelphia-based artist Stephen Parrish is well known for his role in the revival of etching among American painters in the late 19th century. The son of a successful Quaker merchant, Parrish studied art privately in Philadelphia before traveling to Europe to see the old masters. He turned his attention to art full time in 1877, exhibiting paintings at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design. He took up etching in 1879, largely teaching himself the process after a lesson from Peter Moran. Within a year he was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Etching Club. He produced 168 etchings by 1892 when he gave up the process. He was the father of the American painter and illustrator Maxfield Parrish.