Birth and Baptismal Certificate for Martin Andresc. 1788Sheet: 12 3/4 x 15 5/8 "
Frame: 18 1/2 x 22 3/4 x 1 "Watercolor and ink on paperGift of Ralph Esmerian2005.8.330At top 2 violinists face 2 trumpeters; floral border runs along the sides. At bottom left is large building with several doors, window, flags, and chimney nearby a man talks with 2 women while 2 birds flank them.1545513393Johannes Ernst SpangenbergDrawingsThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain."MARTIN ANDRES was/born in Greenwich Township in Sussex County and/the State of West New Jersey the 1st day of February/Anno Domini.1788; His Father named Bernard Andres/ and his Mother Mary Andres. Soon after his birth-/day he was Christian like baptized, his Godfather and/Godmother were his dearly beloved Parents--/Whom have I in Heaven, but thee? and there is none upon Earth, that I desire/besides thee, my flesh and my heart falleth: but God is the Strength of my Heart/and my Portion for Ever. Psalm 73. Vers 25-26--" watermark: "Cunkley" or "Conkley"EastonEastonUnited StatesPennsylvaniaWorks on PaperEaston
frakturThe lively and colorful borders on his fraktur often depict musicians and ladies and gentlemen in addition tothe more usual floral motifs (Bishop); schoolmaster. His fraktur have an Old World look about them, often showing buildings with arched windows and turrets topped with flying pennants. He also included musicians, tables with wine glasses, and men and women apparenlty enjoying both. Inclusion of musicians suggests his proximity to the music-loving Moravians in Northampton County (Earnest)
Embellished texts known as fraktur were produced in Pennsylvania German communities and other areas where Germanic families migrated. They testify to the retention of cultural traditions even as immigrants traveled far from home. Johannes Spangenberg was one of many German immigrants to the American colonies who fought in the Revolutionary War. He served as a sergeant major, adjutant, and quartermaster in the Northampton County Militia, and his pension papers commend his service and loyalty. In Europe, fraktur was accepted as legal documentation of births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths. They continued to fulfill a similar function in the New World when they were submitted as proof of birth with applications for military pensions in the post-Revolutionary period.
Fraktur occurs in a variety of forms, from birth and baptismal certificates to house blessings, rewards of merit for students, love tokens, and small gifts. Pastors and schoolmasters produced the majority of these documents, which shared a cohesive visual language with other American Germanic decorative arts. In a convention derived from illuminated manuscripts, the symbolic and narrative pictures frequently accompanied texts that might include a biblical verse and sometimes a pious motto or proverb. Fraktur was not intended as wall-hung art. Most frequently, it was pasted on the underside of a chest lid, a primary piece of furniture in Germanic homes. This Geburts und Taufschein, or birth and baptismal certificate, was drawn by Spangenberg and attests to his ability to communicate in both German and English. He is most closely associated with fraktur made for children in Easton and Greenwich townships, Pennsylvania, and Sussex County, New Jersey. His artistry is particularly appealing with its animated parade of musicians. In some cases, these figures may be singing praises to God. At other times, they appear to be dancing and enjoying a secular celebration. It has been suggested that, as a Lutheran, Spangenberg’s depiction of musicians is related to the tradition of musicians gathering to play during services held on special occasions such as births.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Birth and Baptismal Certificate for Martin Andres," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgMusic played an extensive role in Pennsylvania German life. An outgrowth of the Protestant Reformation, hymns were an imposing part of worship and funeral services. Folk songs were popular in taverns and were sometimes accompanied by what Pennsylvania Germans called a Zitter, or dulcimer. Organs were so highly esteemed that any church that owned one was dubbed an "organ church," and for special ecclesiastical occasions musicians with an assortment of instruments would accompany occasional music in worship.
Johannes Ernst Spangenberg, who taught at the church school in Easton, memorialized this custom by depicting violinists, trumpeters, and hornists, as seen in this birth and baptismal certificate for Martin Andres. Other human figures in this work remind us that baptisms were occasions for family gatherings at which wine and cake were served. Spangenberg was bilingual, and he made pieces for children born in the eastern Lehigh Valley and even across the Delaware River in New Jersey, in a region settled by Moravians, who also placed a high value on music.
Frederick S. Weiser, "Birth and Baptismal Record for Martin Andres," in Stacy C. Hollander, American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 475-476.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org17831793 2005 8 33 frakturThe lively and colorful borders on his fraktur often depict musicians and ladies and gentlemen in addition tothe more usual floral motifs (Bishop); schoolmaster. His fraktur have an Old World look about them, often showing buildings with arched windows and turrets topped with flying pennants. He also included musicians, tables with wine glasses, and men and women apparenlty enjoying both. Inclusion of musicians suggests his proximity to the music-loving Moravians in Northampton County (Earnest)
Embellished texts known as fraktur were produced in Pennsylvania German communities and other areas where Germanic families migrated. They testify to the retention of cultural traditions even as immigrants traveled far from home. Johannes Spangenberg was one of many German immigrants to the American colonies who fought in the Revolutionary War. He served as a sergeant major, adjutant, and quartermaster in the Northampton County Militia, and his pension papers commend his service and loyalty. In Europe, fraktur was accepted as legal documentation of births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths. They continued to fulfill a similar function in the New World when they were submitted as proof of birth with applications for military pensions in the post-Revolutionary period.
Fraktur occurs in a variety of forms, from birth and baptismal certificates to house blessings, rewards of merit for students, love tokens, and small gifts. Pastors and schoolmasters produced the majority of these documents, which shared a cohesive visual language with other American Germanic decorative arts. In a convention derived from illuminated manuscripts, the symbolic and narrative pictures frequently accompanied texts that might include a biblical verse and sometimes a pious motto or proverb. Fraktur was not intended as wall-hung art. Most frequently, it was pasted on the underside of a chest lid, a primary piece of furniture in Germanic homes. This Geburts und Taufschein, or birth and baptismal certificate, was drawn by Spangenberg and attests to his ability to communicate in both German and English. He is most closely associated with fraktur made for children in Easton and Greenwich townships, Pennsylvania, and Sussex County, New Jersey. His artistry is particularly appealing with its animated parade of musicians. In some cases, these figures may be singing praises to God. At other times, they appear to be dancing and enjoying a secular celebration. It has been suggested that, as a Lutheran, Spangenberg’s depiction of musicians is related to the tradition of musicians gathering to play during services held on special occasions such as births.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Birth and Baptismal Certificate for Martin Andres," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgMusic played an extensive role in Pennsylvania German life. An outgrowth of the Protestant Reformation, hymns were an imposing part of worship and funeral services. Folk songs were popular in taverns and were sometimes accompanied by what Pennsylvania Germans called a Zitter, or dulcimer. Organs were so highly esteemed that any church that owned one was dubbed an "organ church," and for special ecclesiastical occasions musicians with an assortment of instruments would accompany occasional music in worship.
Johannes Ernst Spangenberg, who taught at the church school in Easton, memorialized this custom by depicting violinists, trumpeters, and hornists, as seen in this birth and baptismal certificate for Martin Andres. Other human figures in this work remind us that baptisms were occasions for family gatherings at which wine and cake were served. Spangenberg was bilingual, and he made pieces for children born in the eastern Lehigh Valley and even across the Delaware River in New Jersey, in a region settled by Moravians, who also placed a high value on music.
Frederick S. Weiser, "Birth and Baptismal Record for Martin Andres," in Stacy C. Hollander, American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 475-476.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org