Reading imprint is an early 3-heart design on wove paper in German. Mounted in white matboard window frame. Large central heart outline composed of tulips; text block within; never used (no infill). Just above the tip of heart is "READING: / Gedruckt von / Jungmann und Gruber, / Im Jarh / 1794." Two smaller hearts in lower corner composed of filled ovals with German religious verse within.
Reading, Berks County and Swatara Twp, Dauphin County
Large, bold decoration around borders. Stamped four times is a woodcut design of a single red & green goose-like bird, head pointing up, perched on flowering branch. Two "geese" appear in upper corners and 2 are below at tip of large heart. Other hand-drawn floral motifs fill in borders: a large red & green tulip at top center is flanked by 2 red and yellow elongated "daisies". Smaller flowers at sides and lower border.
Krebs was the most prolific of all fraktur artists. Coming to America as a Hessian soldier, he became a schoolmaster in Swatara Twp, Dauphin Co. He was active throughout S.E. PA & New Jersey. Between 1801 and 1813, he bought nearly 7,000 taufscheins printed by Adlers in Reading. He preferred 3-heart prints. After his death c. 1815, numerous blank printed B&BCs were found in his estate; many were later scattered & sold by others.
The document was printed in Reading by Jungmann & Gruber; the decoration was created by artist Friedrich Krebs (c.1749-c.1815), Swatara Twp., Dauphin County, who was active from c.1784-1812. The certificate was not used.
Significant losses, especially at upper corners; smaller losses along bottom edge.Large holes in several flowers near lower left corner as well as bird at upper right corner; smaller holes in other flowers. Age-darkened paper has two worn and wrinkled fold lines. Long tear extends downward from top center edge; tape mends here as well as bottom center have stained paper dark brown. Scattered brown stains. Mounted in matboard window frame.
Object ID
2017.999.28
Notes
Appraised by Rev. Fred Weiser, 2 Sept 1988. He states "Should be restored." This fraktur is #32. (Another Weiser worksheet with #20 lists the same Taufschein, Never used. Has less info than #32.
Johann Jacob Friederich Krebs was probably born April 3, 1749 and probably died in July 1815, according to Russ & Corinne Earnest's Papers for Birthdayes, pp. 460-467, He was active circa 1784-1812 in most counties of southeast PA and even New Jersey. He is considered the most prolific of all fraktur artists. He lived between Hummelstown and Harrisburg, Dauphin Co. and was a Schoolmaster in Swatara Twp.
He went through phases of decoration such as pasted-on cutout paper, stamped-on birds, his own freehand sketches, etc. He purchased large sheets of colored Augsburg brocade paper having Baroque decoration with pictures of Saints, animals and flowers. He cut out these figures to paste on fraktur as well as cut out his own shapes.
He used Adler's printshop in Reading for most of his printed B&BCs, often supplying the paper himself. He preferred 3-heart prints having no decoration, since he provided his own decoration.
See Vol. 4 of K. Stopp's The Printed B&BCs of the German Americans, p. 106. He notes that most copies of the #626 edition "were used by Friedrich Krebs."
Birth and Baptismal Certificate for birth of Michael Cassel of Dauphin County. Hand-done fraktur has single heart design as well as text and decoration created entirely by Friedrich Krebs (1749 - c. 1815) on a half-size sheet of laid paper. Mounted in an old flat profile frame, now removed.
Within a large central heart drawn with scallops only is the text done in German: the black is in script and the red is conventional German. (Note: These frakturs were produced by Krebs ahead of time with the red. The black script is the infill, done with family information). Each bottom corner of fraktur has a large bird with up-turned head (hand printed with woodcut), perched on a tulip with additional large petaled flower extending upward along each side. Amorphous motif at bottom center resembles stylized wings of putti. Faded watercolors are red, green, brown and some yellow in top center flower.
Text begins with --? Township in Dauphin County in 1818. Born to the parents on the 7th of January was a son in the sign of Capricorn at 4:00 in the evening. The father was Jacob Cassel and the mother was Salom(?), nee Juinin(?). Son was baptized by ---? ----? 30th of April and given the name Michael ----?. Sponsors were Wilhelm Juin(?) and his wife Li--na(?). (The sponsors were likely the maternal grandparents.)
No watermark visible.
Perhaps the same families as another 1/2 size Krebs BBC done in 1815 for the Cassel/Juius(?) families of Dauphin County (Earnest, p. 467). See other half-size BBCs with single heart motif (copies in this file). See NOTES.
The 1790 Census lists a Jacob Cassel living in Montgomery Co. (no Cassels in Dauphin County).
Strong soil, foxing and mottled liquid stains throughout, resulting in some color bleeding. Reverse side is especially bad with moisture stains and foxing. There is a horizontal center fold and some additional horizontal creases. Multiple short vertical wrinkles appearing as near-tears, esp. through mid-section. One tear up from bottom to right of center about 1" long. Removed from frame and acidic mounting. Edge at left is ragged with small losses. The other three sides have been unevenly hand cut.
Object ID
P.05.24.1
Notes
The Earnests note that Krebs was the most prolific of all fraktur artists. He was a Hessian soldier, later becoming a schoolmaster in Swatara Twp., in what is now Dauphin County. He lived on 3 acres of land just west of Hummelstown. His fraktur work included a very broad area of eastern PA counties as well as New Jersey. (See Earnest, Papers for Birth Dayes, pp. 460-467).
See other examples:
Shelley, Pa. Ger. Fraktur, fig. 34. Geo. Scott Sale, 1994, lot #420, Deyerle Sale, 1995, lot #422-424, Free Library of Phila., fig. 300, Klaus Stopp, Printed BBCs of the German Americans, Vol. I, pp.140-145,
