In trying to understand the American folk art of our 17th and 18th century Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants to the New World, one must understand the premise of how much of a religious backlash these Pilgrims were a product of during Medieval times including beheading when scribes of the Middle Ages eliminated religious texts and a stylish lettering form known as this Fraktur, among religious persecution.
Rhineland natives who were lucky to reach America in primitive sea vessels after a death-defying crossing of the terrible Atlantic Ocean were very much beholding to a benevolent God, not only for safe passage to this “Land of Milk and Honey” in the New World, but for surviving previous cruel European wars in which their ancestors were fortunate enough to survive in the Old World.
Back to fraktur. These most elaborate family Birth and Baptism documents were commissioned by Lutheran and Reformed parents who sought out a scribe that would design a most unique “Taufschein” that would surprise the child in its embellishment that also including date of birth and could be fastened under the lid of the child’s personal dower chest, be they male or female. Some Fraktur folk art documents were very unusual, and today, continue to fetch a high auction price well above the printed ones furnished by traveling itinerant scriveners from the Reading and Allentown areas.
Some early Fraktur artists colorfully enhanced these traditional Taufschein documents with Germanic folk art that went beyond Christian Angels and folk art Trees of Life, sprouting mythical flowers and whimsical faces on the Sun and Moon. Unicorn animals were particularly praised as a good luck symbol, but some folk art enthusiasts theorize if the Lion figure was a symbol for King George the Third of England! The religious church fever created by these dynamic PA Dutch Fraktur scriveners celebrated the majesty of the New World hemisphere by incorporating said good luck unicorns and mythical figures, optimistically encouraging a life of good fortune for the newly born child.
Painted on Tauf Scheins, made for farming families in Berks County, the symbol of God’s compassion remained the shape of a huge flat heart bursting with love, which was very prevalent when framing the name of the parents and the names of their offspring baptized in their religious faith. Ultimately, PA German printers standardized Taufschein forms for various churches most notably with angels flanking on the left and right, and where few scribes were able to enhance the format, the Angel Gabriel, for example, overlooked both the man and woman’s maiden name printed at the top of the Taufschein.
People in early America could write German script, but fewer Deitsch Rhinelanders were able to write English, so itinerant ministers and teachers were the people whom the farmers were able to rely upon for doing illuminated such fraktur documents done approximately on 13 by 16 inch paper.
Following in the steps of the late folklorist Dr. Donald Shelly, Russell and Corinne Earnest have become perhaps the foremost authorities on the subject matter and done a wonderful publication of Pennsylvania German Taufschein Fraktur titled The Heart of the Taufschein, published by the PA German Society in 2012, among other related publications. Magnificently illustrated with hundreds of examples, it’s treasured research of the American folk artists who have long been bringing exceptional prices at Americana auctions throughout the United States long after their deaths, definitely are the heart of these ethnic peoples for well more than 300 years. Fraktur was very much an important folk practice of God and Country with its people.
Richard L.T. Orth is assistant director of the American Folklife Institute in Kutztown.