Museum Object Number1957.1215 A |
Fraktur (Religious text)
Geistlicher Irrgarten (Spiritual Maze or Labyrinth)
Works on Paper
Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
Friedrich Krebs (Decorator)
Ephrata Cloister printshop (Printer)
References: Weiser, "The Mad, Lovable World of Frederick Krebs," Der Reggeboge, 1988, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 49-88; Earnest, Papers for Birth Dayes, p. 237-44. Krebs was the most prolific fraktur artist in America. It is believed he (like Christian Strenge) was a Hessian soldier who either stayed or returned to the United States after the Revolutionary War. He purchased thousands of printed birth and baptismal certificates from varous Reading printers.References: Stopp, The Printed Birth and Baptismal Certificates of the German Americans, vol. 2, pp. 98-217. The Ephrata printshop is credited with producing the first printed certificates in America. Its press printed forty editions by 1800. (Stopp, p. 98).
1815
Ephrata, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
1788
1. Inscription; Bottom right within border; Ephrata, Im Jahr 1788.
Ink; Watercolor; Paper (laid)
Letterpress, Hand colored, Painted
16.3 (H) , 13 (W) , 16.3 (Image H) , 13 (Image W)
41.4 (H) , 33.1 (W) , 16.3 (Image H) , 13 (Image W)
H at left. W at bottom. Chain interval: 2.7 cm; 8-9 laid lines per cm.
Bottom center: initials "CB" within heart
Hand colored with watercolors
Paper made by Christian Bauman (1755-1815), who appears to have worked at the Cloister paper mill since c. 1777, and later operated it on lease, 1790 until his death. (See Gravell #144, pp. 52 & 159.) Stopp suggests papers with the watermark of CB in a heart were used 1788-92 (See Stopp, vol. 2, p. 99).
Text available soon.
[Book] Yoder, Don. 2005 The Pennsylvania German Broadside: A History and Guide.
• For a related example, see pp. 182-183.
[Book] Earnest, Russell D. & Earnest, Corinne P. 2005 Flying Leaves and One-Sheets: Pennsylvania German Broadsides, Fraktur, and Their Printers.
• For other examples of spiritual mazes, see pp. 280-286.