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The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East VOL. 46, NO. 7 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2015
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
Drawn With Spirit: Pennsylvania German Fraktur From The Joan And Victor Johnson Collection Exhibition To Be Held At The Philadelphia Museum Of Art Through Sunday, April 26 ne of the most admired forms of American folk art, frakturshriften are decorated Germanic documents featuring brilliant colors and often whimsical imagery. Transplanted to Pennsylvania by German-speaking immigrants in the 1700s, these hand-drawn or printed works on paper are distinguished by a broken (or “fractured”) style of lettering. Most were executed in ink and watercolor and embellished with hearts, flowers, birds, angels, and other lively motifs. Small yet exuberant, fraktur celebrated important moments in the personal and domestic lives of Pennsylvania
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Germans, who tended to store the documents inside Bibles or chests rather than framing and displaying them on walls. The most common types of fraktur are birth and baptismal certificates, writing samples, house blessings, bookplates, rewards of merit, family records, valentines, New Year’s greetings, and religious subjects or texts. Philadelphians Joan and Victor Johnson have collected Pennsylvania German fraktur since the late 1950s. “Fraktur in those days was something we could afford, as my mother would say, with my ‘roast beef money,’ anything left over from the budget that
week. Whenever I saw something I liked, I bought it,” said Joan. Gradually, over the course of more than 50 years, the Johnsons assembled one of the finest private holdings of this material in the country. In 2012, they promised their fraktur collection (about 230 works, dating between roughly 1750 and 1860 and mostly made in southeastern Pennsylvania) to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), thereby more than doubling the museum’s fraktur collection and exponentially increasing its breadth, depth, and quality. One of the first major American institutions to acquire Pennsylvania German folk art, beginning in the early 1890s, the
PMA has one of the most important collections of this type in the country. The Johnsons’ generous gift will place the museum’s fraktur collection on par with the rest of its Pennsylvania German art holdings. An exhibition curated by Ann Percy showcasing a selection of the Johnsons’ promised gift of fraktur is currently open to the public, showcasing a variety of Pennsylvania German decorative arts from the museum’s collection, including painted furniture, redware pottery, and metalwork. With this presentation, visitors can readily explore how a common vocabulary of colorful and engaging (Continued on page 2)
This birth and baptismal certificate for Anna Maria Oberle (born Sept. 19, 1798), circa 1798, is attributed to Johannes Ernst Spangenberg, American, The cutwork for Elias Striker, 1844, is attributed to Isaac F. Stiehly, 1755-1814. The watercolor and ink on laid paper, 13 1/8-by-16.25-inches, is American, 1800-69, watercolor and ink on woven paper, 13.25-by-17.5a promised gift of Joan and Victor Johnson. inches. It is a promised gift of Joan and Victor Johnson.
This cutwork valentine, dated May 22, 1754, artist/maker unknown, American, watercolor and ink on laid paper, with a diameter of 12.5inches, is a promised gift of Joan and Victor Johnson.
This drawing of a woman on horseback, circa 1775, attributed to the Sussel Washington Artist, American, active 1760-85, watercolor and ink on laid paper, 8-by-63/8-inches, is a promised gift of Joan and Victor Johnson.
New Book Presents One Of The Finest Groups Of Pennsylvania German Fraktur Ever Assembled In Its Entirety he Yale University Press is pleased to announce the publication of “Drawn with Spirit: Pennsylvania German Fraktur from the Joan and Victor Johnson Collection” by Lisa Minardi. Published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), the book features an interview by Ann Percy and is the companion to an exhibition of the collection open at the PMA through Sunday, April 26. Among the most beloved forms of American folk art, fraktur is a Germanic tradition of decorated manuscripts and printed documents noted for its use of bold colors and whimsical motifs. The PMA makes a landmark contribution to the study of Pennsylvania German fraktur with the publication of “Drawn with Spirit.” This catalog and the associated exhibition offer the most comprehensive study of the topic in over 50 years. The featured objects, most of which have never been published, accompany significant new information about the artists who made these works and the people who owned them. An introductory essay sets the renowned Johnson collection within the context of collecting and scholarship on Pennsylvania German folk art and then highlights major new discoveries, including connections between fraktur and related
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examples of furniture and prints. An interview with the collectors offers valuable insights into the formation of this special group of objects, which includes birth and baptismal certificates, bookplates, religious texts, writing samples, house blessings, cutworks, and printed broadsides. The color illustrations reveal schools of artistic and regional influence, giving a nuanced understanding of how artists took inspiration from one another and how designs were transferred to new locations. Detailed catalog entries include extensive information about each piece as well as useful translations. About the author Lisa Minardi is an assistant curator at Winterthur Museum in Delware and a specialist in Pennsylvania German art and culture. A Pennsylvania native, she earned a B.A. in history and museum studies from Ursinus College and an M.A. from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the History of American Civilization Program at the University of Delaware. The publication date is Tuesday, Feb 17. The hardcover book is $65. To order, visit www.yalebooks.com.