Birth certificate done in German for "Anna Schenkin" (Schenk), born in "Connostoge Taunschip Langster County", November 20, 1783. Hand drawn, colored and lettered on laid paper with iron gall ink. No baptism indicates a Mennonite family.
The text is enclosed within a heart, surrounded by various vining flowers and four birds, two above and two below. The design conforms with artist's normal pattern of having the vines emanate from a hole at the top center of the heart. This artist made fraktur for mostly Lancaster County Mennonite families. He was almost certainly a schoolmaster. There are about 15 of his fraktur that are documented.
"Johannes Schopf/Schopp Artist" (active c. 1774-1800)
Note written on frame's dust cover by Smith states this fraktur was exhibited in two shows: Allentown Folk Art Show (Nov. 1974) and William Penn Memorial Museum, F/A Show (Jan. 1975).
Slide #27-2-4 in Archives West.
Provenance
Purchased by Richard Flanders Smith at a public sale along Route 222, north of Willow Street. Given to the Lancaster County Historical Society with the understanding that it would become part of the Heritage Center collection with the establishment of that institution.
Foxing or brown spotting over much of surface. Some tears along the edges. Moisture or adhesive stain at bottom center.
A condition report and treatment proposal was done by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia in 1986. Matted and framed by conservator Brian Howard of Carlisle in 1996.
Object ID
G.77.50.11
Place of Origin
Conestoga Twp.
Credit
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Richard Flanders Smith, Heritage Center Collection
Framed vorschrift on laid paper with German text penned on both sides with dark iron gall ink. Paper is folded with two strong creases, creating four quarters of the sheet. Half of "front" side contains illuminated vorschrift with four letter styles.
Top line in very large, ornate letters reads, "Wohl dem der..." Initial letter "W" is oversize and decorated with scrolling acanthus leaves. Arching over this line is a horizontal vine with flowers and pomegranate. The religious text in script ends with what appears to be Psalm 112. It ends with a final line in fraktur lettering reading, "Heinrich Miller, in Canastogen Townschip, Anno 1782."
One quarter of same side states, "Vorschrift Vor Heinrich Miller, in Canastogen Townschip, den 5ten Martz, Anno 1782."
Reverse side has a text in German script framed with a lined border. It has ten lines including numbers and alphabet, and it ends with the same line as above, "Heinrich Miller, in Canastogen Townschip, 1782."
Fraktur scholar David Johnson identified this artist as Friedrich Hartman, likely a schoolmaster. Hartman is found on no records but the 1790 Census, in Conestoga Twp., suggesting that he owned no property. Other Hartman pieces were found in the 1986 Fraktur Harvest (see this file).
This vorschrift relates closely to work done in northern Lancaster County near Ephrata Cloister although the artist is not known to have had connections in that community.
Provenance
HC purchased at Scott's sale through Christie's for $1265.00, Jun 11, 1994. This piece was likely collected by Scott in his usual manner, purchase at sale in Lancaster Co. or region.
Mounted in frame folded in half: H: 8.25" W: 13.125"
Frame is H: 16.25 W: 19.25"
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2016-10-24
Condition Notes
Overall soil with many stains. Edges are ragged, a 2-inch-long sections is cut from one corner. There is breaking at creases and losses where heavily inked. Paper loss where crease coincides with lettering as well as tulip-shaped flower.
Matted and framed by Carlisle conservator Brian Howard in 1996.
Object ID
P.94.13.3
Notes
This fraktur is recorded in the Winterthur Library: Decorative Arts Photographic Collection, NEH 475, 17-19 (per Christie's)
Pictured on p.15, of Fraktur: Folk Art & Family by Corinne & Russell Earnest.
