Frakturs

Are you sitting comfortably?

Good, I feel the need to expound.

 

 

Fraktur you'll be glad to hear is not a newly emerged bit of

street slang about to take it's place in the urban dictionary.

Although I think it's rather a shame as it could mean

something like "I've had casual sex with her" or,

if shouted loudly enough by a group of testosterone fuelled

youths "Let's stick it to someone!"

But - as usual - I digress.

 

Fraktur is, in fact, rather more than a popular European type face

created on behalf of the German Emperor Maximilian.

It is also a wonderful, elaborate, exuberant style of folk art

created by Pennsylvanian German and Dutch immigrants

which saw it's heyday between 1740 and 1860.

  

 

That's what I want to bring to your attention.  It grabbed me

so perhaps it will grab you too so let's frak* on!

(*sanitised swear word from Battlestar Galactica -

Google it for yourself if you don't believe me.)

 

 

Frakturs, for the most part, were executed in ink,

watercolour or a combination of the two.

As with most art forms a number of different varieties

evolved over the years the main types being entirely written

ones called Vorschriften, and birth/baptism certificates

called Taufscheine.
 

 

There were also marriage and house blessings, book plates

and floral/figurative scenes.  Popular motifs were birds, hearts,

tulips, stars and angels.  Sound familiar?

Early examples were invariably hand drawn but towards

the latter part of their popularity printed text became

increasingly popular.

 

 

These folksy little artefacts are now much sought after with some

of the rarer examples changing hands on the open market

in excess of $100,000.  One well-known collection was sold

at Pook & Pook Auctioneers, Bownington, Pennsylvania in

2004 for $913,448!!

 

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

They'd convert rather nicely into samplers with a little effort.

Please excuse me, there's something I just want to try

so I'm going to frak off a bit sharpish.
Ostler, saddle my horse immediately.