Samuel Swaim Stewart

Stewart's father was a physician and "medical director" for Swaim's Panacea, a patent medicine.{{cite web |title= Swain Stewart in the 1870 United States Federal Census |website= ancestry.com|url= https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2821828?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a22574c62385058384166447242645750762b4c706f676e4a756953593359692b79542b55366f5041703976493d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d}}{{cite news|work= Terre Haute Weekly Gazette |place= Terre Haute, Vigo County |page=3 |date= 13 June 1878 |title= Swaim's Celebrated Panacea |url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=THWG18780613.1.3&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------}} His family was well off and pushed Stewart toward a music career.Gura, p. 140 He began training on the violin when he was 12 under Professor Carl Gaertner.Gura, p. 139-140

Stewart was inspired to play the banjo by hearing banjoist Lew Simmons play at a concert, when Stewart was a boy. He purchased a tack-head banjo (banjo with skin sound-table nailed to the instrument's head with tacks) to learn to play and was disappointed with the instrument's quality, especially when comparing it to his violin. Although discouraged by his initial banjo experience, he got instruction in 1872 from George C. Dobson of Boston and Joseph Ricket of Philadelphia.Gura, p. 137 With his earlier training toward a classical-violin career, he didn't need much musical instruction; he became a good enough player, that after "several lessons, " he himself began teaching others to play.

When Stewart began learning and teaching the banjo, the instrument was embedded in an era of the blackface-minstrel and variety shows.Gura, p. 138, 144, 163 Initially, he taught what was standard for banjo performing repertoire, organizing a minstrel show.Gura, p. 143-144 Then he took a step away from the minstrel music that was the popular music of its day, embracing European music and society culture and envisioning the banjo in that setting. He pushed European music as proper for the banjo, to make it the equivalent of the violin. In his efforts to change the banjo's image, he was facing an established culture which he considered "vulgar", the banjo frequently being the instrument of the "variety parlors and drinking saloons" and dance halls instead of in middle class homes with ladies and gentlemen.Gura, p. 140-141. 163 Using his S.S. Stewart's Banjo and Guitar Journal he promoted performances and recitals.{{cite journal |title=The "Elevation" of the Banjo in Late Nineteenth-Century America |first= Karen Elizabeth |last= Linn |journal= American Music |date= Winter 1990 |volume= 8 |issue= 4 |pages= 441–464 |publisher= University of Illinois Press |doi= 10.2307/3051763 |jstor= 3051763 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3051763}}

As he began selling his banjos and publishing, Stewart began competing to with his former teacher George Dobson, who had come out with a simplified way of teaching people to play. Dobson's method didn't teach students to read sheet music, and Stewart felt they would be struck at the level of picking out simple songs.Gura, p. 119-124 He felt students should learn to read sheet music from the beginning so that they could progress into more complex and satisfying songs.

File:S. S. Stewart sheet-metal sign.jpg

Alongside teaching, he began making banjos. His banjo rims were made of a layer of German silver outside of a wooden layer.Gura, p. 161-162 The silver folded over a wire on top of the wooden rim, and the silver and wire were sandwiched between the wood rim and the skin.Gura, p. 161-162, 169 Stewart felt that the silver-and-wood combination would produce the best tone, a combination of the silver ring of metal with pure tones from wood. Having arrived at this conclusion, he committed to it, while his competition continued to develop their banjos, which eventually may have reached a quality to surpass his.Gura, p. 191-192

His company became a major manufacturer, competing with Lyon and Healy, A. C. Fairbanks and William A. Cole.Gura, p. 3, 191-192 These men and their companies were producing some of the highest quality banjos of the Classic Era (1880s-1910s).{{Cite sign |title=The Classic Era (fourth sign in series) |year=2020|type=Display in museum |publisher=American Banjo Museum |location=Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|quote= what are generally considered collectively to be the finest banjos manufactured during the Classic Era.}}{{Cite sign |title=The Classic Era (third sign in series) |year=2020|type=Display in museum |publisher=American Banjo Museum |location=Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|quote= The Classic Era (1880s-1910s)...}}

Stewart and his company were part of a larger movement to create the banjo into an instrument of concert halls. Others participating in this movement included Fred Van Eps, Vess Ossman, Frederick J. Bacon, Alfred A. Farland and George W. Gregory.{{Cite sign |title=The Classic Era |year=2020|type=Display inside museum |publisher=American Banjo Museum |location=Oklahoma City, Oklahoma}} These players were to take on European works by Beethoven, Paganini and Mendelssohn. He associated with some of the better banjo players of his time, including E. M. Hall, Horace Weston, John H. Lee and William A. Huntley, promoting them in his journal and printing their endorsements of his products.Gura, p. 150-152

File:Lew Simmons.jpg|Lew Simmons, a 19th century musician who played blackface minstrel music inspired Stewart to learn the banjo

File:Advertisement for S. S. Stewart Concert, Orchestras and Parlor banjos.jpg|1884. Stewart declares the intended venues of his instruments, concert halls, orchestra music and women's parlors.

File:S S Stewart orchestra banjo number two at the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City.jpg|S. S. Stewart orchestra banjo #2, at the American Banjo Museum.

File:Advertisement, S. S. Stewart’s Little Wonder Piccolo Banjo or Mandolin Banjo.jpg|S. S. Stewart’s Little Wonder Piccolo Banjo or Mandolin Banjo

File:S.S. Stewart Little Wonder Piccolo, 1892, American Banjo Museum.jpg|Stewart designed the Little Wonder piccolo banjo to play very high notes in a banjo orchestra.

File:S. S. Stewart's Presentation Banjo.jpg|1883 Advertisement: S. S. Stewart's Presentation Banjo, in Horace Weston's "Seek No Further March" sheet music.

File:S S Stewart Presentation Banjo, 1894, sn 15667, at the American Banjo Museum.jpg|S. S. Stewart Presentation Banjo from 1884 at the American Banjo Museum

File:Headstock of a S S Stewart Presentation Banjo, 1894, sn 15667, at the American Banjo Museum.jpg|Headstock a S. S. Stewart Presentation Banjo sn 15667

File:Pocahontas carving on neck of S S Stewart Presentation Banjo, 1894, sn 15667, at the American Banjo Museum.jpg|Pocahontas carving on neck of a S. S. Stewart Presentation Banjo, depicting Pocahontas

File:Pocahontas carving and decorated interior of banjo head on S S Stewart Presentation Banjo, 1894, sn 15667, at the American Banjo Museum.jpg| Rim of layered German silver and wood. Wood here is inlaid. Presentation banjos were meant to be fine works of art.

File:Sss basslargead.gif|Advertisement taking about bass banjos

File:Stewartbanjos.jpg|S. S. Stewart bass banjo (left) and banjeaurine. Stewart invented the banjeaurine for a higher or lead voice in banjo orchestras

File:S. S. Stewart signature.jpg|Signature of Samuel Swaim Stewart

His full name has been written as:

• S. S. Stewart
• Samuel Swain Stewart{{cite news |title= Samuel Swain Stewart Dead|work= The Philadelphia Times |place= Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |date= 8 April 1898 |page= 6|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39551517/obituary-for-samuel-swain-stewart-aged/}}
• Samuel Swaim Stewart{{cite web |title= S. S. Stewart. Banjo. No. 355896. Patented Jan. 11, 1887. |publisher=United States Patent Office |url= https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/b0/8e/07/45ff08fc2a1ee3/US355896.pdf |quote=SAMUEL SWAIM STEWART OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA...Be it known, that I, SAMUEL SWAIM STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Banjos... }}
• Swain Stewart{{cite web |website= ancestry.com|title= Swain Stewart in the 1860 United States Federal Census |url= https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2839847?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a22644956753753595530776133744f744d304c436452503457564c6b5a397255684b306f69677161425732303d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d}}
• Swaim Stewart
• Swaim S. Stewart{{cite book|title=Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1891 |publisher=James Gopsill's Sons |place=Philadelphia |date=1891 |page=1796 |quote= Stewart Swaim S., mus insts, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert |url= https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/2591254?ssrc=&backlabel=Return}}
• S. Swaim Stewart.{{cite book|title=Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1890 |publisher=James Gopsill's Sons |place=Philadelphia |date=1890 |page=1770 |quote= STEWART S. SWAIM, banjos, 831 Arch, h 394 Aspen |url= https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2811738?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a22763043792f30633859554b2b7439705744334366306c6f5a526b4c5637305165756b5843724456617a784d3d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d}}

Swain appears on his obituary, on 8 April 1898 in the Philadelphia Times and in the 1860 U.S. census.

Swaim appears on his tombstone,{{cite web| title= Samuel Swain Stewart |website= findagrave.com |url= https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40025624/samuel-swain-stewart?_gl=1*jqji5b*_ga*MTUyMTgzMzk5NC4xNjgwMDAzNjM5*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MjhhMTdiODktODYxZi00NWIyLWI1ZWUtMjEyOTk4ZDJlZDdmLjEuMS4xNjgwMDAzNzQ1LjQzLjAuMA |quote=[Note: While the tombstone indicates "S. Swaim Stewart", the website itself uses information from his obituary, which has "Samuel Swain Stewart".]}} on city directories from his lifetime (including 1879,{{cite book|title=Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1879 |publisher=James Gopsill |place=Philadelphia |date=1879 |page=1551 |quote= Stewart, S. Swaim, music teacher, 831 Arch |url= https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/2863303?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=176320807}} 1880,{{cite book|title=Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1880 |publisher=James Gopsill |place=Philadelphia |date=March 1880 |page=1615 |quote= Stewart, Swaim S., banjos, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert. |url= https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2812185?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a22566756436d2f4b55576b50506e4865556f566f4a3043317a473941396c506a35792b434c4a65444a4c796f3d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d}} 1889,{{cite book|title=Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1889 |publisher=James Gopsill's Sons |place=Philadelphia |date=1889 |page=1716 |quote= Stewart Swaim S., mus insts, 223 Church, h Ardmore |url= https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2812496?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a22566173306b7334684e73736b344d675363335876684639456164313653442b77614a397934576f5a6f39513d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d}}), 1890, 1891, 1892,{{cite book|title=Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1892 |publisher=James Gopsill's Sons |place=Philadelphia |date=1892 |page=1853 |quote= Stewart Swaim S., mus insts, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert |url= https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/2854228?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=1195315229}} 1895{{cite book|title=Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, for 1895 |publisher=James Gopsill's Sons |place=Philadelphia |date=1895 |page=1808 |quote= Stewart S. Swaim, mus insts, 223 Church, h 1421 Filbert |url= https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/2593319?ssrc=&backlabel=Return9}}), his church admission record in 1868,{{cite web |title= Swaim Stewart in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013 |website= ancestry.com |url= https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2821367?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a226a31526e44425861576a6b3272615668707245734758343544396b7677782f5a6c7369317845514c4a7a553d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d}} the 1870 U.S. census and US Patent number US355896A.

• {{Cite book|title= America's instrument: the banjo in the nineteenth-century |last= Gura |first= Philip F. |date= 1999 |publisher= Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press |isbn= 9780807824849 |url= https://archive.org/details/americasinstrume0000gura/mode/2up?view=theater}}

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• [https://music.si.edu/object/nmah_605689 Smithsonian Museum, S. S. Stewart banjo]

Category:American classic-fingerstyle banjoists

Category:Banjo makers

Category:Musicians from Philadelphia

Category:1855 births

Category:1898 deaths