Pennsylvania Germans: a Surprising People--Paper Trail--Of Cloth and Leather--Of Wood Made--Pottery, Glass, and Chalk, Too--From Iron to Gold, to German Silver--Paintings, Fine and Folk.
Summary
"Folk art and quilts are here, but so is the work of Precisionist painter Charles Demuth and Abstract Expressionist painter Franz Kline. Objects range from needlework, pottery, furniture, and glass to paper, paintings, and metals--including gold and silver! Here is a very personal and extensive historical text illustrated with the works of traditionalists, revivalists, and the avant garde displayed in over 350 color photographs. Pennsylvania German Arts has been written to be both informative and fun to read and is designed to showcase distinctive works of great beauty." [from Amazon.com]
Penn State University Press for the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania German Society,
Date of Publication
2005.
Physical Description
xviii, 367 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.
Series
Publications of the Pennsylvania German Society ; v. 39. Pennsylvania German history and culture series ; no. 6
Notes
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Song and ballad broadsides -- The broadside and customs of the year -- Political and military broadsides -- Medical broadsides -- Sale bills, advertisements, and bookplates -- Dialect broadsides and community events -- Religious broadsides -- House-blessings and heaven-letters -- The broadside and the rites of passage -- Prints : the picture world of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Summary
"Fifteenth-century Germany was the birthplace of movable type and of one of its powerful consequences, the broadside. These mass-produced printed sheets allowed both the Renaissance and the Reformation to spread with previously unimaginable speed, and when German immigrants made their way to North America, the cultural significance of the broadside followed.The author defines a broadside as any piece of paper printed on one side that is intended to be given away or sold. Where some experts have narrowed the definition of the broadside to focus primarily on song and ballad broadsides, Professor Yoder’s definition encompasses a much wider range of material. In this more comprehensive approach to the medium, not only “street literature†but also such documents as elegies, spiritual testaments, and certificates of birth, baptism, confirmation, and marriage are all considered legitimate broadsides that tie the individual to the culture of the community. After tracing the migration of the broadside from Germany to America, the author dedicates each of ten chapters to a specific broadside subject." [publisher's comments]
Fraktur are colorful documents made by Pennsylvania Germans who lived in rural parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding region during the 1700s and 1800s. Most fraktur are personal records, such as birth and baptismal certificates.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-65) and index.
Contents
Contents 1. Historical and cultural context. The Pennsylvania German fraktur tradition Pennsylvania German settlement in the York county area Chronology York county-area fraktur Patterns Ltheran and German reformed religion Antecedents and symbolism Recognition of York county-area fraktur 2. Taufscheine as artifacts. Characteristics Content Makers Uses by the Pennsylvania Germans Contemporary uses Preservation. 3. Taufscheine as art. Artists Painters
