Scherenschnitte, freehand cutwork on light cream-colored wove paper folded horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, then cut out. Rectangular form is centered with an 8-lobed flower made of four hearts enclosing smaller hearts & a medallion with inscription Surrounded by figures of boys and girls as well as birds and hearts. Colored w/ red and blue paint/gouache and some details in blue ink.
Scotland area, Greene Twp., Franklin Co.
Handwritten in blue at center is: "Margarert [sic] Elizabeth / Farner / A present / By John Farner / March 11th 1854" Made for sister Margaret when John was age 11. Similar one is owned by Jim Gergat, done by Farner in 1854 for Isaac Shetter in Green Twp. in Franklin County. Jim has a photo of recipient Shetter. He owns an additional cutout w/ no written presentation. Gergat states Farner was a Civil War veteran and is buried in Centerville, Cumberland Co. (at intersection of Rt. 174/Walnut Bottom Rd. and Rt. 233 & associated w/ Centerville Lutheran Church, Carlisle).
Provenance
Given by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Flanders Smith to the Lancaster County Historical Society with the understanding that it would become part of the collections of The Heritage Center Museum with the establishment of that institution.
Small brown spots overall, especially in top half. Larger brown stains in top left area and central design; possibly faded brown coloring.
Matted and framed by conservator Brian Howard of Carlisle in 1996
Object ID
G.77.50.3
Notes
Earnest, Fraktur: Folk Art & Family, 1999, p. 118.
Informed 1-9-12 by Jim Gergat, former York Co. H. S. curator, of identity of John Farner. See photocopies of his two Farner cutouts in file. Gergat's phone # is (610) 473-0137.
Slide #27-2-10 and Transparency file under "Fraktur" #18.
Removed from Masonic Lodge Fraktur exhibit early 2008.
Exhibited Landis Valley Museum, scherenschnitte exhibit curated by Irwin Richman, May-Dec. 2008.
Place of Origin
Greene Twp., Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Credit
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Richard Flanders Smith, Heritage Center Collection
Birth and baptismal certificate lithographed in German by Augustus Kollner of Phila. is infilled for the Frankhausser (Frankhauser) family of East Cocalico Twp. Image is colored with yellow border and smaller details in blues and pink. Frame is walnut veneer on flat, angled profile.
Titled "Geburts- und Taufschein", the vertical design on wove paper (14 1/4" x 10 1/4") features elaborate foliate scrolling along architectural sides & base borders, culminating in a leafy broken arch at top, flanked by putti & verses from the gospel of Matthew. Under arch is a nativity scene and within niches at side columns are two men, apparently John the Baptist at left and Jesus at right. Jesus' baptism is pictured within architectural border at bottom, flanked with religious verse. Printed at bottom is "For Sale by Augs. Kollner, corner of Second & Dock Sts. Phil.a / Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1849, by Augs. Kollner, in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pa."
German text is printed within open center area; infilled by unknown scrivener in a large, flowing script that contains several spelling errors. To Heinrich Frankhauser and his wife Marie nee Leath was born a son John Lamon the 7th of April, 1854 in East Cocalico Twp. He was baptized the 5th of October, 1854 by Pastor Ries and sponsored by the parents. (Rev. Charles Reese was the pastor 1852-1857 at Muddy Creek Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ellis & Evans, p. 713).
Printed Philadelphia by Augustus Kollner; Infilled in Cocalico Twp. by unknown scrivener
Generally very good condition. Moderate darkening along edges and light darkening overall. Small stains & foxing sprinkled within text and elsewhere. Reverse side shows yellow liquid stain, apparently bleed-through from watercolored column & arch.
Framed with acidic wood backboard, now replaced with acid free Foam core. Frame refinished w/ minor damage & wear.
Object ID
P.07.07.1
Notes
Most Frankhausers were living in Brecknock Twp. during the late 1800s. The 1864 ATLAS has two properties labeled "H. Frankhauser", one SE of Napierville (E. Cocalico) & one SE of Muddy Creek (Brecknock) (See file). The 1890 Directory has widow Maria F. living in Muddy Creek.
Printer was born in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1813, studied painting & lithography & emigrated to Phila. in 1839 or 1840. He was active independently as a lithographer before 1849 & an artist in watercolor until the 1870s. From 1849-1951 he was associated with the German printer Johann Henry Camp.
Printed angel-type birth and baptisimal certificate (B&BC) in German on wove paper. Jacob Leininger was born in 1852, the son of Friederich Leininger and wife Elisabeth nee Ksander of West Cocalico Twp. Baptized by Rev. Carl Ries.
Border surrounds the central text block with infill, flanked by two angels. At top center is a putto with two boxes of text at sides. On the top of the page is a cherub flanked by two boxes of text. Flanking the main text are two large angels, facing toward the center. Two perching birds at lower sides. Bordered text block at bottom center has religious verse with two tailpieces filling space: above text is woman with shield reading "IN GOD WE HOPE" and below is an emblem with horns over flowering branches. Below this is the imprint: "Gedruckt und zu haben bei A. Puwelle, Reading, Penn."
Birds, putto and angels are fancifully decorated with yellow, blue, red, brown and various shades of green. Mounted in black frame with cream colored mat.
Printed: Reading by Arnold Puwelle; Infill & decoration: unknown.
Large tear on top, near center. Tear on right side. below center. Two tears on left side. Moderate creasing, especially lower left corner. Moderate staining, especially on left side.
Framed in archival materials in 2/2000 by Lancaster Galleries.
Object ID
P.00.09.2
Notes
Reference: The Printed B & B C of the German Americans, Klaus Stopp, vol. 4, p. 292. According to Stopp, this variant of Puwelle's printed form was done c. 1852 and is assigned #769. Stopp lists this Puwelle fraktur for the Leininger family as an example.
Birth & baptismal certificate on laid paper. Printed form with central textblock in German within a multiple line border. Infilled and decorated around textblock by Speyer; cross-legged angel at top, pelicans feeding young at sides and flowers at sides and bottom. Watercolors are red, blue, yellow, green and brown.
Infilled for Johannes, son of Valiendein (Valentine) and Eliesabetha (Elisabetha) Bohmer of Brecknock Township in Lancaster Co., born Dec. 13, 1788.
Georg Friederich Speyer (active 1774-1801) used this printed form produced c. 1789 by Barton & Johnson of Reading. See Notes.
General wear with numerous creases and wrinkles; one pronounced vertical centerline crease. Repaired tears, esp at left edge. All edges are ragged and uneven, esp. at right.
Conserved by CCAHA in 1989 (see report in file). Hinged into window mat & back mat. Relaced in its original frame using UF-3 Plexiglas and acid-free cardboard on reverse with a taped mylar dust shield.
Object ID
G.77.50.1
Notes
Printed form by Reading printers Thomas Barton and Benjamin Johnson, circa 1789 (see Klaus Stopp, The Printed Birth & Baptismal Certificates of the Pa. Germans, v. 4, p. 84). Speyer used this printed form for Johannes Bohmer who was born the previous year in1788.
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Role
Artist
Credit
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Richard Flanders Smith, Heritage Center Collection
Spiral labyrinth, watercolor and ink on wove paper, signed by John A. Landis (15 Sep 1777 - 8 Mar 1862) of Lancaster City. Within a line border is a compass-drawn large circle filled with interwoven near-circles (paths of labyrinth) emanating from another center circle that is in turn filled with compass-drawn floral decoration. The near-circle pathways have text written within, beginning at the top with the words, "What is a gentleman?" Leafy vines with flowers fill the corners outside of the large circular labyrinth. Two distelfink-type birds are perched on lower vines. At bottom center is a heart in which vines are anchored. Within heart are 4 lines of neatly printed English: "Made By/ John A. Landis in the/ Year of our Lord 1852/ in the Seventy Fifth/ Year of his/ Age."
Reverse side of frame has two stickers; the top one reads: "MSC/ #135" and the lower one reads: "T76.10.37/ (MSC - 135)."
Unusual -- believed to be the only hand-done Lancaster City fraktur known. Samuel Baumann is the design source for Landis's birds, flowers and hearts. Baumann produced printed fraktur in Ephrata in the early 19th century. See NOTES
Provenance
Provenance: Dealer Hattie Brunner to Dr. & Mrs. Donald A. Shelley. Shelley collection sold at auction (Pook & Pook), Oct. 2004 to Heritage Center.
Paper is darkened overall; watercolored words of labyrinth are blurry and often illegible.
Object ID
P.04.45.1
Notes
According to Landis family genealogy & other sources, Landis operated a museum in Lancaster City at several successive locations. Article in Lancaster Gazette, 1825, lists detailed changes & additions Landis made to the museum.
Landis married twice, leaving no children and is buried in Shreiner's cemetery (tall monument along Mulberry St. side). The 1850 Census records him living, at age 72, with his wife Sarah in a hotel kept by Henry Nauman. He is also listed in the 1860 Census but of course gone by 1870.
Labyrinths have been made in various forms for centuries, traditionally of a spiritual nature. According to Michael Bird, "The labyrinth had pre-Christian roots in the worlds of Crete, Greece and Rome..." Landis's labyrinth is unusual in that it is not rooted in a spiritual or Biblical theme, but instead focuses on moral character. This compass-drawn design is not traditional Pa. German; it is likely Anglo-inspired.
This labyrinth was illustrated in Donald Shelley's "The Fraktur-Writings of Illuminated Manuscripts of the Pa. Germans", figure #223. See Klaus Stopp's The Printed B&BCs of the German Americans, Vol. II, pp. 208-217, for fraktur printed by the Baumanns of Ephrata. These show the source of motifs used in this labyrinth.
