In 1875 on a visit to Rock Island, Illinois, Stephen Ferris sketched his niece Abigail (or Abbie) in pencil. Abbie was one of five siblings in the family of Ferris’s sister, Althea Ferris Dean. Abbie continued to live in Rock Island, remained single, and taught school. In one census, she was listed as a drawing teacher. Ferris himself taught for many years at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art and Design).
