The year 2001 is special. It ushered in three fraktur exhibits making it possible for fraktur lovers and scholars to wallow in the largest number of freehand and printed fraktur ever on display at one time. A rainbow of tulips, hearts, parrots, peacocks, and angels of every size, shape, and color imaginable greets those attending the three exhibits in Reading, York, and Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. But just as important as the number of fraktur available for this public feast is the perspective on American fraktur that each exhibit offers.
    Since the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society published Dr. Donald A. Shelley's The Fraktur-Writings or Illuminated Manuscripts of the Pennsylvania Germans forty years ago, a small army of scholars has intensely examined the complex field of fraktur. Shelley's book inspired not just a handful of students of fraktur, but many students, and the number is growing. Shelley has often remarked, he knows of few disciplines that have been researched and written about more than fraktur. Yet despite the work of this determined band of researchers, the study of fraktur remains complex - and by many accounts understudied, for there continue to be significant voids in fraktur research.
    The number of articles and books published on fraktur has accelerated, especially in the last two decades, and exhibit curators have capitalized on what appears to be an insatiable appetite on the part of the public to learn more about these gems of eighteenth and nineteenth century manuscript art produced by and for Pennsylvania Germans. In fact, the very reason curators can create meaningful exhibits is because the past forty years of research, which Shelley's book prompted, have become building blocks for such exhibits.

The Berks County Exhibit in Reading

    Richard and Rosemarie Machmer of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, guest curated the exhibit in Reading at The Historical Society of Berks County. The Machmers recognized the pivotal role Berks County artists and printers played in the development and distribution of the birth and baptism certificate, or Geburts und Taufschein (plural, Geburts und Taufscheine). The Machmers emphasized the Berks County contribution to fraktur by focusing on the development of the Taufschein over a span of more than a century.
    Taufscheine are the most numerous type of fraktur. They were immensely popular among Lutheran and Reformed families, and Lutheran and Reformed families represent the highest percentage of families of German heritage in Berks County. Thus, in the closing decades of the eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth century, major fraktur artists, scriveners, and printers of Taufscheine lived in or crisscrossed Berks County creating Taufscheine for an eager market. Reading, the largest city in Berks County, was important for its German printers and was the birthplace of the printed three-heart certificate (c. 1790-1810), followed by the angel-type. The immensely popular angel-type forms dominated printed Taufscheine for over a hundred years (c. 1805-1920). These certificates were hand-decorated and widely distributed by fraktur artists and scriveners.
    The Berks County exhibit offers more than one hundred examples of fraktur, both printed and freehand. Major fraktur artists worked in Berks County including Friederich Krebs (1749-1815), Daniel Schumacher (c. 1729-87), Martin Brechall (c. 1757-1831), Henrich Weiss (active c. 1776-1808), Friederich Speyer (active c. 1774-1802), the I.T.W. Artist (active c. 1805-11), Conrad Gilbert (1734-1812), and Conrad Trevits (1751-1830), all of whom have works exhibited. For purposes of the exhibit, the Society collection is supplemented by additions from two private collections, the first time examples by some major artists have been on display.
    In addition to fraktur, objects showing fraktur motifs are on exhibit. These include textiles, cookie cutters, redware, and more. Importantly, the exhibit includes printing blocks engraved by Carl Friedrich Egelmann (1782-1860) of Reading, who printed Taufscheine, and an array of notes made by Berks County scrivener Georg August S. Hainbach (active c. 1876-1919). These notes, made on an assortment of papers ranging from tobacco advertisements to ruled note paper, show how Hainbach kept records about fraktur he owed to clients.

The York County Exhibit in York

    If Berks County became the "heart" of Taufschein production east of the Susquehanna River, York County could claim the same west of the Susquehanna. Both counties boast major fraktur artists, and both boast major Taufschein printers. June Lloyd, Librarian at the York County Heritage Trust, launched a fraktur exhibit that includes works from York and Adams County. Like Berks County, York and Adams Counties had mostly Lutheran and Reformed families among their German populations. Thus, Taufscheine dominated the fraktur market in this region just as this type of fraktur numerically dominated Berks County examples.
    The York County exhibit has more than seventy fraktur on display including works by major artists such as Adam Wuertz (active c. 1813-36), Johann Zug (active c. 1775-1801), Daniel Peterman (1797-1871), Francis Portzline (1771-1857), Johannes Bard (1797-1861), the Sussel-Washington Artist (active c. 1760-84), and more. The York County exhibit introduces little known artists such as Peter Marcle and George K. Gantz, who made freehand fraktur in York County in the mid-1800s. More examples by these artists will likely become known now that Lloyd has identified their works.
    Importantly, like the Berks County exhibit, the exhibit in York shows a variety of printed Taufscheine. Printed forms from York and Hanover in York County rate among the most varied and interesting prints from any region of southeast Pennsylvania. Printers such as Salomon Mayer (died 1811), Johan Philip Starck (active c. 1805-16), Daniel Philip Lange (1783-1856), Daniel Wilhelm Lepper (died 1842), Samuel Endredy Stettinius (active c. 1797-98), and others introduced an amazing variety of editions, many of which were successfully marketed throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
    The great surprise regarding the exhibit of York and Adams County fraktur is that this is fraktur from west of the Susquehanna - an area thought by some to have limited Pennsylvania German decorative arts. As the exhibit demonstrates, there was a rich fraktur heritage in York and Adams Counties. In a short five years, Lloyd inventoried more than 1,200 fraktur from the area. At the beginning of her project, no one imagined she would have this kind of success.

The Schwenkfelder Exhibit in Pennsburg

    In regions of southeast Pennsylvania where German-speaking populations had greater numbers of families belonging to smaller religious denominations, such as Mennonites, Amish, Moravians, and Schwenkfelders, we find a higher ratio of fraktur types other than the Taufschein. For example, Bucks and Montgomery Counties have many Mennonite and Schwenkfelder families. Mennonites and Schwenkfelders do not practice infant baptism so there was no demand for Taufscheine. Although these religious sects do not have Taufscheine among their fraktur, they do have significant fraktur traditions. Consequently, the exhibit at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center at Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, shows more variety in terms of types of fraktur than the other two exhibits.
    Every example displayed at Pennsburg is freehand rather than printed. But just because the Schwenkfelder examples are freehand does not mean they are necessarily earlier than examples seen in the Berks and York County exhibits. For example, it may surprise some that Berks County displays printed forms that date earlier than much Schwenkfelder freehand fraktur. And while many thought most York County fraktur is later than fraktur east of the Susquehanna River, the York County exhibit includes early examples, such as two Vorschriften (writing examples) made in Manchester Township that date 1758 and 1765.
    The Schwenkfelder exhibit, curated by Deborah Rebuck, features fraktur made by David Kriebel (1787-1848), who is credited with bringing classic Schwenkfelder motifs to their zenith. Schwenkfelder fraktur was produced by a sect residing primarily in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Design elements reminiscent of eastern Europe are more apparent in Schwenkfelder fraktur than in examples from other regions of southeastern Pennsylvania. Colors used on Schwenkfelder manuscript art are rich and strong. And the fullness of design mixed with complex strapworking within fraktur lettering creates a texture that can be described as sensational. The Schwenkfelder exhibit consists of almost one hundred examples, many of which represent the best of Schwenkfelder art.
    Every geographic location leaves its individual mark on fraktur. The artists and scriveners that worked in a specific location, the prevailing religious denomination, the availability of printers, the time period and the taste of the consumer - all had bearing on the fraktur culture of a particular area. Thus, fraktur from a specific location takes on an identity, and this identity is reflected in each of the current exhibits. The problem for curators of the three exhibits was to convey this identity to the public. Is was a tough job, considering much of the public knows little about fraktur let alone understanding regional similarities and differences.

Quilts, Guns, Cookie Cutters - and Fraktur

    We speak from experience when we say that those who author books and lecture on the subject of fraktur, and those who curate exhibits on the subject encounter tremendous difficulties. The single greatest obstacle when introducing fraktur to the public is the language barrier. More than eighty percent of American fraktur was written in German. Thus, the exhibit curator must interpret the meaning, use, and importance of an illuminated document the visitor cannot read. Moreover, many people still have misconceptions about fraktur - assuming they are familiar with the subject at all. Some believe that fraktur were marriage records made by preachers. Because of the naive art on fraktur, many believe most fraktur were made by children. And many believe the same types of decorated manuscripts can be found in Europe.
    In truth, schoolmasters and later, professional scriveners made most fraktur. Only a small percentage of fraktur was marriage records. And by far, most freehand and printed fraktur were Taufscheine, recording dates of birth and baptism for a child while providing the parents' names, location, and names of sponsors. As important as these documents were among American Lutheran and Reformed families, Taufscheine were rarely made in Europe.
    Like others dealing with the complex study of fraktur, the curators of the three current exhibits faced the all too familiar and daunting task of getting across these concepts to visitors ranging from those who have never heard of fraktur to fraktur aficionados who are sure to visit every fraktur exhibit possible. The task of each curator would have been easier if they were exhibiting quilts or long rifles or cookie cutters. The public immediately recognizes and understands these objects. But relatively few museum goers from outside southeast Pennsylvania know what a fraktur is.
    It is no small task to introduce fraktur to the general public. That public ranges from the woman from Boise, Idaho, who wants to learn more about her ancestor's baptism certificate, to a Japanese businessman visiting the United States, to groups of ethnically mixed grade-school children, to a family whose vacation in the "Pennsylvania Dutch" country is limited and whose children want to hurry on to an amusement park in Hershey. Moreover, the public also includes beginning to advanced - and knowledgeable - scholars and collectors. Reaching out to all these people requires a great deal of explanation. The curator must explain who the Pennsylvania Germans are and their love of decoration. They must explain fraktur lettering. They must explain why fraktur are written in German and what they say. They must explain when these manuscripts were made, why they were made, and who made them. They must touch on various faiths among the Pennsylvania Germans. In short, they must deal with many disciplines all at once. And they must get their message to the public quickly and succinctly - boiling each idea down to no more than a few lines on a label the size of a three-by-five note card.
    Fortunately, today's curator has an intense forty years of research at his or her disposal. Prior to Shelley's work, there existed publications on fraktur, but these publications were few and, of necessity, they covered broad concepts. Since Shelley, major studies have been published. Most notable is Prof. Dr. Klaus Stopp's six-volume study of printed birth and baptism certificates. The Printed Birth and Baptismal Certificates of the Pennsylvania Germans was a key resource for the Machmers and for Lloyd. Had it not been for Stopp's publication, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to determine that Reading printers enjoyed the longest history in America of printing the Taufschein. Stopp's study also made it clear that although Reading printers were not the first to print Taufscheine, they introduced to the market the three-heart certificate and the angel-type certificate. This publication was also important in the study of hand-decoration used on Taufscheine, for it points out that Reading printers, unlike printers in Allentown, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and beyond, resisted the use of technology that allowed the printer to print color. Instead, the Berks County market continued to enjoy hand-color decoration on their angel-type prints even into the opening decades of the twentieth century. It was as if this segment of the Pennsylvania German culture determinedly stuck to their love of folk decoration.
    In all, the past forty years of research have provided scholars, exhibit curators, historians, writers, and even genealogists looking for family names on fraktur the tools they need not only to understand these documents, but to interpret them and put them in perspective. Emphasis on perspective is needed. If the uninitiated were to read about Schwenkfelder fraktur or attend the Schwenkfelder exhibit, in isolation and without the benefit of other resources, he or she would think Schwenkfelder fraktur represents all American fraktur. Yet, as important as Schwenkfelder fraktur is, it is actually atypical of most American fraktur, for the Taufschein would not be represented.
One of the most exciting developments concerning recent research is that regional comparisons of fraktur bring greater understanding of these documents. We now understand why one printed form is more rare than another. We understand what is unique about each fraktur and why it is unique. We understand how each example fits into the greater scheme of fraktur production. We recognize "firsts" and "lasts" in fraktur. The three exhibits give insights that make regional identity more clear. Consequently, there is no way to compare the exhibits. In fact, if a visitor from California were to ask you which to see, your answer should be, "See them all!"
    And you might add they should waste no time, for these exhibits end soon. The exhibit at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Pennsburg ends September 30, 2001. Following closing, there are plans to take the exhibit on tour. Moreover, beginning December 1, 2001 through March 31, 2002, the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center will feature a fraktur exhibit entitled "A Celebration of Pennsylvania Fraktur" examining regional differences including Schwenkfelder fraktur not exhibited before. The Historical Society of Berks County exhibit ends September 22, 2001. However, the Society rotates displays of many of their fraktur, so that some examples can be seen throughout the year. And the York County Heritage Trust exhibit ends October 31, 2001.

And for Those Who Missed the Exhibits . . .

    Not all is lost if your California friend made plans too late to see all three exhibits. As important in their own right are the publications associated with the exhibits. Dennis Moyer's 301-page Fraktur Writings and Folk Art Drawings of the Schwenkfelder Library Collection is the standard reference regarding Schwenkfelder fraktur. Along with dazzling illustrations, Moyer presented biographical data on many of the Schwenkfelder artists. Published in 1997/98 by the Pennsylvania German Society, the book has over 250 color photographs.
    Richard Machmer's 22-page catalog titled Berks County Pennsylvania Fraktur: Gerburts [Geburts] Und Taufscheine presents an overview of Berks County fraktur, a county where freehand Taufscheine blossomed and printed Taufscheine matured - without surrendering its folk-art quality. Included in the catalog are over thirty color photographs and a look at some of the more important artists, scriveners, and printers. And June Lloyd's 132-page book, Faith and Family: Pennsylvania German Heritage in York County Area Fraktur addresses regional fraktur from an historical and cultural context as well as presenting checklists of York County area artists and printers. This book contains over fifty beautiful color illustrations. It is a surprise to the most seasoned student of fraktur because of the variety and quality of fraktur produced in an area west of the Susquehanna River.
    Not associated with a current exhibit is the Pennsylvania German Society publication, Bucks County Fraktur, which will be available in September 2001. The unprecedented level of exhibit space and publications dedicated to fraktur in 2001 demonstrates the continued interest among collectors, museum goers, and scholars in enjoying this special aspect of Pennsylvania German folk art.

Donald A. Shelley - An Ever-Present Influence

    We would be remiss if we did not close with a personal observation. Dr. Donald A. Shelley, dean of fraktur scholars, was a force regarding all exhibits and resultant publications. Shelley was instrumental in getting Fraktur Writings and Folk Art Drawings of the Schwenkfelder Library Collection published and he wrote the foreword. As a long time resident of Berks County, he is eminently familiar with Berks County frakturists - in fact, being the first to identify many Berks County artists and scriveners. As such, he played a key role in the Berks County exhibit and co-wrote the introduction to Berks County Pennsylvania Fraktur. But interestingly, Shelley is a native of York County, Pennsylvania. Like the authors of this essay, June Lloyd is a life-long admirer of the man who made fraktur a mainstay of American decorative arts. Thus Lloyd, and the York County Heritage Trust, were honored that Shelley wrote the foreword to Faith and Family. Seldom has a field of study been so positively affected by the work of one man.

For More Information:
York County Heritage Trust
250 East Market Street
York, PA 17403
717- 848-1587
www.yorkheritage.org

Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street
Pennsburg, PA 18073
215-679-3103
www.schwenkfelder.com

The Historical Society of Berks County
940 Centre Avenue
Reading, PA 19601
610-375-4375
www.berksweb.com/histsoc


ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Russell and Corinne Earnest have written numerous books and articles on fraktur including Papers for Birth Dayes: Guide to the Fraktur Artists and Scriveners (1997) and Fraktur: Folk Art & Family (1999). In 1997, the Earnests guest curated a fraktur exhibit for the Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

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