Framed silhouette of gentleman in profile, facing viewer's right. He is perhaps early-to-middle-age years, dressed in high collar and coat. Below is the name "Amos Ellmaker" handwritten in cursive in faded black ink.
Image is cut out of a rectangle of white wove paper, superimposed on a matching piece of black silk and secured with stitches at periphery. There is a window mat of faded marbelized paper, frame is molded walnut.
Same marbelized paper also covers back of frame. Clipping from printed biographical article is pasted to back.
Moderate wear and aging overall. Wove paper is darkened with fold lines and pin holes. Frame is worn with loose joints. Frame backing paper shows wear at corners and was cut to remove artwork, replaced and secured with cellophane tape, now removed except for bottom strip, leaving adhesive residue.
Object ID
P.03.11.01
Notes
According to the Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Amos Ellmaker (b. 2-2-1787 and d. 11-28-1851) was a man of intellect and attainment. He was grandson of immigrant Leonard Ellmaker (Germany to Earl Twp in 1726) and son of Nathaniel Ellmaker. He attended Princeton College, then law school in Litchfield, Conn. He began practice in Hbg., served as an officer in the War of 1812, later was appointed prosecuting attorney for Dauphin Co., elected to the State House of Representatives, appointed Presiding Judge for the district composed of Dauphin, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, was later appointed Attorney General of Pa., but resigned in 1821 to move back to Lancaster. Judge Ellmaker was in 1832 a candidate of the anti-Masonic party for Vice-President of the U.S. In 1816, he had married Mary Rachel Elder of Harrisburg. They had six children.
Water color portrait of a young man on wove paper. The subject depicted in full-length profile, facing to the viewer's left, with right foot in front of left. He has short black hair and is wearing a dark blue coat, white shirt with high collar, blue and white checked vest, dark gray pants and black boots. He is holding a top hat upside-down in his right hand.
The background is dominated by a blue sky with a few clouds, an orange or light brown horizon, blue-green hills and bushes (probably faded green) and brown ground.
According to the sellers, the subject is one of the Reitz (or Ritz) brothers. Catherine Reitz was the great-great grandmother of the seller, Guiles Erisman Costolo. For more info on the provenance see the file.
Artist Jacob Maentel (1763-1863) was an important itinerant portrait painter in watercolor who worked extensively in northwest Lancaster County during the first quarter of the 19th century.
Some horizontal buckling on left side, vertical buckling along top edge, but otherwise in good condition.
Conservation treatment and matting done in Feb. 1989 by CCAHA in Phila. Mat must have later been removed, so this piece was matted and framed by conservator Brian Howard in 1996.
Portrait/photo of William Wohlsen that has been color-tinted with chalk: light brown hair, blue eyes, light skin and pink lips. He is wearing a charcoal-colored vest and jacket; a black bow tied and light-colored shirt. Background in sepia tones. A narrow white mat borders the entire piece.
In pencil handwriting on brown paper covering on back: "William Wohlsen 1847-1912/ Photographed July 4, 1899/ by Otto E. Weber/ 106 N. Queen St./ Lancaster, Pa.
Practical Photographer."
Provenance
William Wohlsen started a planing mill after arrival from Germany. Brought brothers and sister over as well as parents. Children of Anna Dorothy Wohlsen and Henry Conrad Behrens were Dorothy, Esther and William and Henry Theodore Behrens.
Bookplate done on page removed from a book (and also attached to a blank succeeding page). Vertically-oriented design fills page, done in the style of Joseph H. McGlaughlin with his 'ribbon candy' border. Top and bottom have this band of ribbon candy border done in pink, red and blue. Remnant of side border is apparent only at right edge.
Lettering fills the central space. It reads, from top: "Property of/ John B. Zook/ Talmage/ Lanc. Co./ Pa." Zook's name is written on a banner/ribbon. At bottom, above the lower border is written: "Mar. 4, 1899." Within the lower border is the name of the scrivener: "E.B.Zook Leola, Pa." (Written by Wendell Zercher)
Generally good, but age darkened with minor soiling/staning, especially along right side. Edges of pate are torn and folded under. One inch-long vertical tear at bottom right. Breaking paper along right edge.
Sampler by Sarah Stubbs, a Quaker, in 1810 at 13 years of age. Bleached linen, plain-weave ground; all four sides hemmed with selvage on left side. Decorated with 13 floral and geometric half-medallions at periphery. Maker's name and date stitched within a central floral wreath, in turn flanked by a strand of vining border. Smaller floral motifs scattered within central area. Initials are haphazardly arranged among smaller motifs, some appearing as a list or group of initials. Embroidery done in silk, with various greens, salmon, peach, light blue, dark blue-green and tan.
Half-medallion borders are typical of Quaker samplers. This is an outstanding example of a Quaker sampler, according to Trish Herr. The Stubbs family came from England c. 1718 (Thomas Stubbs) and has a long history in Fulton Twp. Son Daniel (and wife Ruth Gilpin) Stubbs established the family in Lancaster Co. by settling along the Susquehanna River in 1767.
Sarah Stubbs is the granddaughter of Daniel and the daughter of farmer and miller Vincent Stubbs, Sr. (1753-1821) and his wife Priscilla Cooper (1765-1831). Sarah was sixth of 11 children; she married Benjamin Mason, Jr. on May 4, 1820. They had one child, a son, Vincent Mason, who was born circa 1821. Sarah likely died in childbirth.
The many initials appear to be family members. (More information in folder.)
(Written by Wendell Zercher.)
Provenance
Sampler descended through family through donor's great-grandmother, Verlinda Stubbs (1831-1912). Verlinda Stubbs came from a Quaker family, but she married Thomas Ross Neel of Drumore Twp.., who came from a Presbyterian Scots-Irish family. Verlinda was the mother of Charles Neel who was in turn the father of Thomas Ross Neel who was the father of the donor, Mrs. Mariana Neel Akerman.
Darkened with acid burn, especially at periphery. Heavy damage with losses at right edge and moderate damage along top edge. Send to conservator Dottie McCoach, May 2003 and return June 14, 2004. Now mounted in dark brown frame in exhibitable condition.
Sampler stitched by Sarah Stock in 1819 when she was ten years old. All cross stitch. Greens and black still retain color. Other faded or colors may have been white, yellow, tan or fugitive red. Border of flowers with sections of verses both sides at top of piece. Central information in black surrounded by trees, flowers birds, hearts, diamonds, two human figures and what appears to be a building bottom center. Card on back written by Mr. Harry Bochert reads: A Sampler "Wrought by Sarah Stock at the tenth/year of her age/ at Mrs. Streets School/in the year 1819."
Note: The capital letters underscored stitched extra large size in black.
Note: All other letters stitched in reduced capital letter size is black. In the upper left-hand corner she stitched in light brown letters:
"When we devote
Our youth to God
Tis pleasure to his eyes
Life's flower when offered
In the end is no vain sacrifice"
In the upper right-hand corner she stitched in light brown letters;
"Delightful task to inform
The tender mind
I lift up the truth if bent
The tree if inclined."
P.S. I found the sampler in a trunk in the cellar- it had a burnt cigarette hold - a job to decipher it but it is in excellent shape. Nearly 150 years old- what a precious heirloom.
Framed: 19.75 inches wide x 19 inches wide. Brown wood frame.
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2022-06-06
Condition Notes
For a piece more than 200 years old, although fragile, it has been carefully framed and is currently well-protected. Evidence of some liquid stains, piece is brown overall. A small burn hole, mid-bottom; and another hole toward left on top.
Watercolor of bird, fraktur-type, done for an Amish female, attributed to Amish artist.
Bird perched in stylized tree, done on plain off-white wove paper. The tree has one main trunk with five small, arching branches terminating in a globular yellow fruit. Uppermost branch ends in a tulip. Three gray-blue leaves attach to trunk. Bird has yellow body decorated with inked texture marks, brown head and wings and gray-blue beak.
Inscriptions: At bottom right in inked German script is "May 1848." At upper left, written sideways in the same hand is "Fannie Hochstetler/ 1848/ Nannie H. Beiler/ 1896.
Mounted in brown paper window mat and frame (likely by sellers for sale). Frame is flat softwood with half-lap, mitered joints and paint-decorated with a dark glaze over a medium-brown ground. Hanging ring at top. (Written by Wendell Zercher)
Provenance
According to sellers' research this may have been a gift to Fannie Hochstetler in 1848, after which she may have married and become "Nannie H. Beiler." Gingerich and Krieder record a Veronica/Fannie/Franey Hostetler (HS5362) (1840-1914) of Mifflin County who married John K. Byler (BY3566) (1831-1904) also of Mifflin Co. Thus, the Earnests are suggesting the sideways description may have been added later than the original 1848 inscription at bottom.
Bought from Russell Earnest & Associates, Nov. 2, 2001, for $1300.00.
Paper has bee trimmed, probably on all four sides. Multiple fold lines with a cluster at upper left corner, a horizontal one at 2 and 2/1 inches from bottom and a vertical one at 1 7/8 inches from right edge. Moderate to heavy soiling, especially above May 1848 date. Upper left cover has minor loss all corners have paste and remnants of paper where previously attached.
Drawing has slid askew since earlier photo. It would be easy to fix. (MAW)
Scrivened page, probably a detached page from the front of a Bible. Watercolored pink and grey over pencil layout.
Horizontal guide lines in pencil still present. Checkerboard border with single rose projecting inward from each corner, then the words" Dieses Buch/ gehoret mir/ Enos Fischer/ Lancaster County Penna/ Geschrieben den 18ten Juni im Jahr/ 1898", then a pair of tulips at the bottom.
Center of letters, flowers, and border are highlighted with a gold paint. Scrolled decoration surrounding the words "Enos Fischer" and vining and leaf decoration around the capital 'D" of Dieses and "B" of Buch.
Newly framed under glass in a gold and black painted, molded, wooden frame. (Written by Michael Middleton.)
Provenance
From Mead and Mead Antiques, York, PA for $100.00, received Oct. 18, 1997. Paid for by the Donegal Chapter of DAR,
Large square brown wool blanket has a line design woven at one end comprised of natural and brown dyed wool. All four sides of the blanket have fringe. Has wide and narrow white and brown stripes across the width of the blanket.
Presentation fraktur or bookmark on wove paper and watercolor floral design made for Esther Weber and attributed to David Frey. Polychrome flowering plant rises from the bottom edge and is adorned with six red flowers. Reverse side has "Ester Weberin" above the date "1815" written in black ink in German script.
Fraktur is pressure-mounted on a light brown matboard within a small frame with walnut-veneered face. Reverse side of matboard has a window cutout covered with Mylar revealing the inscription for Esther Weber.
(Written by Wendell Zercher.)
Provenance
Information on David Frey is as of yet unpublished. Seller (Mr. Clarke E. Hess) writes: "He produced a considerable number of small bird and floral drawing (I have three) for his student in Penn, Rapho and Warwick Twps. I identified his work a few years ago. I had earlier dubbed him the "Eby Schoolhouse Artist" because of drawings that were executed for the Hans Eby family of Warwick Twp. Frey was from a Moravian family, but most certainly joined either the Mennonites or Dunkards. He died in 1841, and his will is in the Lancaster Court House."
Heavily stained in spots overall; paint losses at fold lines within top 3/4 inches of piece. Significant paper losses at top edge and minor losses at bottom edge. Spilled or errant ink marks at four point within the lower 1 3/4".
