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.
Legal opinion of James Buchanan with suggestions on what David Witmer should do to make the title of John Landis indisputable involving land given by Abraham Witmer to the Lancaster Trading Company. Mentions names of Andrew Groff and John Groff. Lancaster.
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries,
https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
MG-96 James Buchanan Collection
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Notes
May 2020 PastPerfect Conversion
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
JBMS2002.005
Other Number
JBFP Part 1, Series 2, Subseries 3, Folder 1
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
Photograph- A group of people gathered at the Heister Monument in Lancaster Cemetery. H. Frank Eshleman is the speaker, J. C. Arnold at post. Also shows John D. and Bertha C. Landis.
Photograph- A group of people gathered at the Heister Monument in Lancaster Cemetery. H. Frank Eshleman is the speaker, J. C. Arnold at post. Also shows John D. and Bertha C. Landis.
Description
A group of people gathered at the Heister Monument in Lancaster Cemetery. H. Frank Eshleman is the speaker, J. C. Arnold at post. Also shows John D. and Bertha C. Landis.
Photograph- John David Landis with his parents, Elvin G. Landis and Sarah McBride Landis, on the lawn of Andrew Rote on Lafayette Day, 1934. Here Lafayette reviewed the troops and General Shannon enacted the same on day makre was erected.
Photograph- John David Landis with his parents, Elvin G. Landis and Sarah McBride Landis, on the lawn of Andrew Rote on Lafayette Day, 1934. Here Lafayette reviewed the troops and General Shannon enacted the same on day makre was erected.
Description
John David Landis with his parents, Elvin G. Landis and Sarah McBride Landis, on the lawn of Andrew Rote on Lafayette Day, 1934. Here Lafayette reviewed the troops and General Shannon enacted the same on day makre was erected.
Photograph- Grave marker of John Landis, owner of the old Landis Museum (Landis Valley Farm Museum?), Shreiner's Cemetery, West Chestnut Street, Lancaster.
Photograph- Grave marker of John Landis, owner of the old Landis Museum (Landis Valley Farm Museum?), Shreiner's Cemetery, West Chestnut Street, Lancaster.
Description
Grave marker of John Landis, owner of the old Landis Museum (Landis Valley Farm Museum?), Shreiner's Cemetery, West Chestnut Street, Lancaster.
Provenance
Photographs found in Landis family file in LCHS Library.
