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Pennsylvania German Fraktur

© Suzanne Hill

I live near the state of Pennsylvania and often drive through the countryside on weekends. I love the primitive art of hex symbols that decorates the barns. When I first learned of Pennsylvania German Fraktur (pronounced FROCK-tur) documents, I was struck by the similarity of the artwork to hex art – bright colors, simple shapes, the fascination with animals and flowers. The Pennsylvania Germans were simple hardworking people, and their artwork tended to be practical. Fraktur documents served to record births and marriages, important sacraments and causes for celebration in the people's lives. Thus artwork was allowed in this documentation, though more than likely frowned upon otherwise.

Strictly translated, fraktur is an ornate type of written or printed German, similar to Gothic lettering in English. Fraktur is used in older German books and printed documents. The old German cursive script was developed in the 16th century. The word comes from Latin and means "broken script" (Bruchschrift), so called because of its ornamental curlicues that break the continuous line of a word.

Pennsylvania German fraktur were handwritten documents that recorded births and baptisms in the last half of the 18th century. The birth and baptismal certificates - referred to as Geburts und Taufscheins -- employ fraktur lettering. Fraktur were produced from about 1760 to the early years of the twentieth century, almost always in German. By around 1900, fraktur are frequently found written in English.

Schoolmasters, itinerant artists, and scholars filled in fraktur certificates. These people were highly skilled in producing decorative handwriting. When a writer was finished with his work, he would decorate it with naïve drawings and watercolors of animals, angels, mermaids, flowers, birds, and hearts. The work of the fraktur scribes and artists ranges from downright primitive to quite marvelous.

I am impressed with the uniqueness of Fraktur art. In its blending of text and decoration, it is close in nature to the medieval illuminated manuscript. While American fraktur may have its roots in European illuminated manuscripts, it is significantly different in one major aspect. American fraktur is used strictly to record family events. And where medieval manuscripts are grand and luxurious, fraktur’s simplicity has a beauty of its own. Pennsylvania artist Geraldine Knock-Paul is reviving this lively art form in her handmade muslin ornaments.

As noted on The Heritage Center website, one fraktur artist in particular is worth special note. The Colonial schoolmaster, Christopher Dock, introduced the folk art of fraktur to an Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite community. Dock taught at various meetinghouse schools during the eighteenth century. He used fraktur documents to great advantage in his capacity as teacher. He created writing samplers (called Vorschrifts) to teach his students how to write the alphabet, write numbers, and read scripture. “The schoolmaster also drew colorful birds and exquisite flowers on small slips of paper, which he gave to industrious students.” He also created hand lettered bookplates for hymn-tune books. In this way, the blending of text and decoration developed into the unique art form we now know as fraktur.

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