Birth and Baptismal Certificate

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Birth and Baptismal Certificate

c. 1801

Attributed to Georg Friederich Speyer (American, active c. 1774–1801)

Birth and baptismal certificates are a popular form of the Pennsylvania German drawings and prints today known as fraktur. (This name derives from the “fractured” look of the medieval-style lettering used in these works.) The lions seen here are probably inspired by imagery found in European coats of arms, and the flowers, animals, and cross-legged angels are decorative motifs commonly used in fraktur and for the adornment of other Pennsylvania German objects.

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Object Details

Title:

Birth and Baptismal Certificate

Date:

c. 1801

Artist:

Attributed to Georg Friederich Speyer (American, active c. 1774–1801)

Medium:

Relief print with letterpress and additions by hand in ink and watercolor

Dimensions:

Sheet: 13 1/4 x 16 inches (33.7 x 40.6 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Titus C. Geesey Collection, 1969

Accession Number:

1969-284-4

Geography:

Made in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America

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