John Scholl emigrated from Württemberg, Germany, in 1853 and settled in Pennsylvania’s Schuykill County. About 1870, he relocated to Germania, Pennsylvania, with his wife and their three sons and two daughters. There he worked as a farmer and carpenter, helping to build, according to local tradition, such structures as St. Matthieus Lutheran Church and the ballroom wing of the Germania Hotel. At the age of 80, Scholl began to make fanciful constructions that ranged in size from small puzzles to large, freestanding sculptures. Using simple tools, primarily a jackknife, Scholl created about forty-five sculptures over a period of nearly a decade. These carvings included symbols from his Germanic heritage, such as tulips and birds, combined with Victorian furniture forms and interior millwork embellishments—ball and spindle, bracket gingerbread, elaborate fretwork—familiar from his work as a carpenter. Eventually, Scholl opened the parlor of his home as a “museum,” discussing each sculpture in depth with guests who passed through; the museum is documented in photographs taken before his death, in 1916. Many of Scholl’s so-called sunburst structures resemble the handmade wooden wheels of fortune that were standard by 1900 in traveling carnivals, Wild West shows, amusement parks, and even church fairs.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Sunburst," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 364.