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."