European "Lettre de Bapteme" is a hand-done fraktur on off-white laid paper, mounted within a window mat. This is a baptismal letter in German script, dated 1811. Most others of this form were printed, not freehand. A running vine of tulips and other flowers -- colored with red, green and blue -- is captured by two line borders, a red outer one and a blue inner line border. At top center of flower border is a heart and another at bottom center. Each has writing within. Small handwritten inscription written later along top above red line border. Middle is illegible; at far left is "Decede / Wolff Jean George" and at far right is "83 ano 8 m. 19 j." The French word "Decede" means deceased.
Centerfield of fraktur has German script text, divided at midline by a thin line border. The text begins: "Werde Fromm und mach le gross werde deiner Eltern..." The child was born April 22, 1811 and baptized April 30, 1811.
Mittelhausbergen, France (just outside town of Strasbourg)
Fold lines, two vertical and two horizontal, with some tears and breakage at intersections of fold lines. General soiling with some foxing; various scattered dark brown to light brown stains. Top has small hole to left of center and at right of center is a break at fold line. One inch down from right top corner at edge is a semi-circular brown stain with edge nick. Streaked line stain near bottom left corner. Colors are still vivid.
Object ID
G.02.10.1
Place of Origin
Mittelhausbergen, France
Credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. David T. Mininberg, Heritage Center Collection
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
