Top of page

Notice
Special holiday hours in effect, December 2025 through January 2026. More information.

Collection Photo, Print, Drawing Pennsylvania German fraktur, broadsides, and related drawings

About this Item

Title

  • Pennsylvania German fraktur, broadsides, and related drawings

Summary

  • Most of the fraktur, a form of Pennsylvania German folk art, are printed or manuscript birth and baptismal certificates (Taufscheine), with watercolor decoration. The manuscript fraktur also include several writing samples (Vorschriften); two valentines; drawings of various flowers, birds, animals, houses, a farm, and Dauphin County Prison in Harrisburg, Pa.; biblical scenes; and other designs. Among the printed fraktur are numerous views of Adam and Eve in paradise, scenes from the life of Christ, house blessings (Haus-Segen), other religious images, and broadside texts with letters from God (Himmelsbriefen), moral poems, and a spiritual labyrinth. Of special interest is the Life and Ages of Man print. There is also an apparently unrelated Italian print, La Via del Paradiso, acquired with the fraktur.

Names

  • Brechall, Martin, active 1783-1823, illuminator
  • Bruckman, Carl Augustus, 1792-1828, printer
  • Krebs, F. (Friedrich), -1815, illuminator
  • Peters, G. S. (Gustav Samuel), 1793-1847, printer
  • Sebald, H. (Hugo), active 1850-1870, engraver
  • Johann Ritter und Companie, printer

Created / Published

  • ca. 1777-c1924, bulk ca. 1780-ca. 1880.

Headings

  • -  Adam--(Biblical figure)
  • -  Eve--(Biblical figure)
  • -  Jesus Christ
  • -  Pennsylvania Dutch--Arts & crafts--1770-1930
  • -  Biblical events
  • -  Birds--1770-1930
  • -  Flowers--1770-1930
  • -  Prison facilities--Pennsylvania--Harrisburg--1850
  • -  Calligraphy--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930

Format Headings

  • Baptismal certificates--American--1770-1930.
  • Birth certificates--American--1770-1930.
  • Broadsides--American--1770-1930.
  • Devotional images--American--1770-1930.
  • Drawings--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930.
  • Frakturs (Illuminations)--American--1770-1930.
  • Ink drawings--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930.
  • Lithographs--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930.
  • Pictorial family records--American--1770-1930.
  • Rewards of merit--American--1770-1930.
  • Valentines--American--1770-1930.
  • Watercolors--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930.
  • Woodcuts--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930.

Genre

  • Frakturs (Illuminations)--American--1770-1930
  • Pictorial family records--American--1770-1930
  • Birth certificates--American--1770-1930
  • Baptismal certificates--American--1770-1930
  • Rewards of merit--American--1770-1930
  • Valentines--American--1770-1930
  • Devotional images--American--1770-1930
  • Broadsides--American--1770-1930
  • Watercolors--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930
  • Woodcuts--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930
  • Lithographs--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930
  • Ink drawings--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930
  • Drawings--American--Hand-colored--1770-1930

Notes

  • -  Arrangement: Arranged in general by medium (drawings before prints), type of document, and creator.
  • -  Published finding aid describing individual fraktur is available in Prints and Photographs Reading Room, filed under call number LOT 12683. It includes illustrations; indexes to names, artists, and publishers; and bibliography.
  • -  Lot title devised.
  • -  Includes fraktur by 52 identified artists, illuminators, calligraphers, printers, and publishers. Those represented by four or more items are: C. Bruckman, F. Krebs, G.S. Peters, Johann Ritter, and H. Sebald. There is also one item by noted illuminator Martin Brechall. The printed fraktur are all from Pennsylvania (Allentown, Annville, Ephrata, Hanover, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pottsville, and Reading) except for one issued in Venice, Italy. Sixty-one fraktur are anonymous.
  • -  Works range in character from drawing and illumination in pen and ink and watercolor and pencil, to woodcut and lithographic prints, to letterpress and type ornament broadsides and certificates.
  • -  Purchase, 1943. (DLC/PP-1943:155).
  • -  Pennsylvania German fraktur and printed broadsides : a guide to the collections in the Library of Congress / compiled by Paul Connor & Jill Roberts. Washington : Library of Congress, 1988. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006934791 External

Medium

  • 158 items (prints, drawings, and manuscripts) on paper : most hand-colored ; sheet 49 x 40 cm. or smaller.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • LOT 12683 (H) [P&P]

Repository

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 91706456

Rights Advisory

  • No known restrictions on publication.

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For information about assessing rights, see the Rights and Restrictions Information page.

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: LOT 12683 (H) [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

Generally, catalog records for Groups of Images in High Demand describe multiple items, from which a selection must be made. The individual items in the group may or may not be represented online.

  1. 1. Determine whether the desired materials can be retrieved online.
    • Select the "About this Item" tab
    • Select the "Check for online items from this group" link
    • Select the "Obtaining Copies" tab for any retrieved items that are of interest.
  2. 2. If the desired material cannot be retrieved online:
    Select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Brechall, Martin, Active , Illuminator, Carl Augustus Bruckman, F Krebs, G. S Peters, H Sebald, and Printer Johann Ritter Und Companie. Pennsylvania German fraktur, broadsides, and related drawings. Pennsylvania Harrisburg, None. ca. 1777-c1924, bulk ca. 1780-ca. 1880. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/91706456/.

APA citation style:

Brechall, M., Bruckman, C. A., Krebs, F., Peters, G. S., Sebald, H. & Johann Ritter Und Companie, P. Pennsylvania German fraktur, broadsides, and related drawings. Pennsylvania Harrisburg, None. ca. 1777-c1924, bulk ca. 1780-ca. 1880. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/91706456/.

MLA citation style:

Brechall, Martin, Active , Illuminator, et al. Pennsylvania German fraktur, broadsides, and related drawings. ca. 1777-c1924, bulk ca. 1780-ca. 1880. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/91706456/>.