A Ferrers diagram is a graphical way of representing an integer partition. A q-series is a series in which the ratio of the nth term to the next is a rational function of $q^n$. With reference to the origins of the subject in the work of Sylvester, I will present a short introduction to the use of Ferrers diagrams in giving combinatorial interpretations of q-series identities. I will then move on to more recent developments involving a sort of generalized partition, called an overpartition. Finally, I will describe some further generalizations and related open problems.