Artist. Although he was born in Philadelphia, he spent his childhood in Macao, China. The Swords were a merchant family of Philadelphia and New Castle, Delaware, prominent in the China, West Indies and South American trade. Upon returning to Philadelphia, James attended high school and then was employed by a civil engineer on various surveys and earth-moving projects. His earlier engineering projects had included the survey of Atchafalaya Bay in Louisiana; enlarging the Union Canal and digging a railroad tunnel, both in Pennsylvania. In his early twenties, after sketching in his spare time, he soon turned to the study of painting. He began with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 1861. By 1863, he had studied with George W. Nicholson, a landscape painter, and was deeply involved in painting. In 1869, he married Matilda Wagner and to this union four children were born. The family resided in Philadelphia. Although Philadelphia remained his home base, he painted in various spots in the Northeast, including Eastern Pennsylvania, the Jersey shore, New York's Adirondack Mountains, and Newport, Rhode Island. He was a popular painter of portraits, landscapes, seascapes and genre, with pictures of outdoor sports and children, who exhibited in New York and his home city. James Brade Sword died in 1915. His active life in art is reflected by his memberships in the Artists' Fund Society, Philadelphia Society of Artists, and Art Club of Philadelphia, of which he was a founder. His work is in the collection of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. His 1911 portrait of J. W. Jones, Speaker of the House, still hangs in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Artist. Although he was born in Philadelphia, he spent his childhood in Macao, China. The Swords were a merchant family of Philadelphia and New Castle, Delaware, prominent in the China, West Indies and South American trade. Upon returning to Philadelphia, James attended high school and then was employed by a civil engineer on various surveys and earth-moving projects. His earlier engineering projects had included the survey of Atchafalaya Bay in Louisiana; enlarging the Union Canal and digging a railroad tunnel, both in Pennsylvania. In his early twenties, after sketching in his spare time, he soon turned to the study of painting. He began with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 1861. By 1863, he had studied with George W. Nicholson, a landscape painter, and was deeply involved in painting. In 1869, he married Matilda Wagner and to this union four children were born. The family resided in Philadelphia. Although Philadelphia remained his home base, he painted in various spots in the Northeast, including Eastern Pennsylvania, the Jersey shore, New York's Adirondack Mountains, and Newport, Rhode Island. He was a popular painter of portraits, landscapes, seascapes and genre, with pictures of outdoor sports and children, who exhibited in New York and his home city. James Brade Sword died in 1915. His active life in art is reflected by his memberships in the Artists' Fund Society, Philadelphia Society of Artists, and Art Club of Philadelphia, of which he was a founder. His work is in the collection of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. His 1911 portrait of J. W. Jones, Speaker of the House, still hangs in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Bio by: Kathy Spellman
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