The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry
Francis du Pont
5105
Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735
302-888-4600 or
800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Title: Calligraphy
Dates: ca.1740-1890
Call No.:
Acc. No.: [various
– see detailed description]
Quantity: 1 box
Location: 3 J 11
SCOPE AND CONTENT
This is a
miscellaneous and still growing collection of decorative hand lettering. Included are Pennsylvania German works in the
fraktur style. Depictions are of
stylized flowers, birds (including and eagle and a swan), and stars. Among the documents is a handwritten copy of
the Declaration of Independence, the Lord’s Prayer, hymns, a birth record,
poems (including one written on paper cut into the shape of a heart and arrow),
writing exercises, samples of legal forms, advertisements for teaching writing,
a page of arithmetic exercises, and bookmarks.
ORGANIZATION
Arranged
in accession number order.
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
The
materials are in English and German.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS
Collection
is open to the public. Copyright
restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchases
and gifts from various sources.
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
Fraktur art.
Bookmarks.
Bookplates.
Calligraphy.
Illumination of books and
manuscripts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
COLLECTION
Location: 3 J 11
61x19.19
Genealogy
note.
Piece of
paper on which is written “John Phelan Aged 11 years the 8 Day of April 1819.” The handwriting is legible, but this is not a
sample of fancy calligraphy.
64x65
Ein neues
lied, ein neus lied, von der mord geschichte des Joseph Millers familien.
1822
A ballad, in
German, about the murder of Joseph Miller's family which occurred in January 1822; with fraktur decorations. Very ornate
lettering with fancy initial letters and flower buds.
Joseph Miller murdered his wife and
children and then committed suicide.
(Additional broadsides about this incident are held by Pennsylvania State
University Special Collections Library.)
65x547 and 65x548
Mennonite bookmarks
Ca.1800.
Mennonite bookmarks from
One bookmark, from the Gayman family, bears an image,
painted in green, deep red, and brown
watercolor, of two birds, stars, and branches.
One the back of this bookmark is the
warning: “Bad men go in the way of sin.
Do no lie, my son, and do no ill.”
The names of John, Henry, Christian, and Betsy Gayman are also written
on the back.
The other bears an image of a stylized flower, with a name
across the bottom: Susana
Schmetzerin[?].
70x23.8
Heath,
Albert C.
Advertisement,
circa 1875-1890.
Fancy
lettered sign for Albert C. Heath, Architect and Builder,
Note: Albert
C. Heath was born around 1813, the son of Rebecca Dole and Dustin Heath. In the 1850 and 1865 censuses, he was listed
as a carpenter; in 1870 as a farmer; and in 1880 and on his death record in
1892 as an architect. He married Matilda
Carleton.
71x212.1-.2
Phillips, C. G.
Spencerian business writing samples, 1878.
Two calligraphic birds, one with “Compliments of C.G.(?)
Phillips written under it, the other with a
very faint signature of C.G. Phillips. Both are drawn on identical printed ads for
“Spencerian
Business
Writing,” including offering to teach the system as well as to engross resolutions,
diplomas, visiting cards, invitations, etc.
On the back of one of the ads is a note (in very pale ink) from Phillips
offering to teach Spencerian writing, dated
72x205
Roberts, C. J.
Declaration of
Copy of the Declaration of Independence made by C. J.
Roberts for his parents, January 24, 1840, illustrated with an eight-pointed
star made out of the names of the 13 colonies whose representatives adopted the
Declaration. In black ink, no color.
76x84
Pennsylvania German alphabet, circa 1800.
Printed Pennsylvania
German alphabet, including capital and small letters, with punctuation marks
and Arabic and Roman numerals. Paper watermarked with script T or F and B.
76x95.13
Baxter, Stacy.
Writing school advertisement, circa 1850.
Manuscript
advertisement of Stacy Baxter proposing to open a writing school, no location
or date given. Includes a list of names,
perhaps of students, or perhaps just a sample of the writing style being taught. At head of ad is a calligraphy feather. A swan
design in calligraphy and another feather adorn the back page.
84x75.1
Gridley, E. G.
Butterworth's Round Hand Copies, circa 1830.
Printed advertisement
for Butterworth's Round Hand Copies, engraved by E. G.Gridley, done in fancy
script with two heads; also a printed alphabet.
These items were cut from a larger work.
Gridley worked at
84x75.2
Champion, Reuben.
The name
Reuben Champion handwritten in ornate script, within a border, with a hand
pointing to the name. The name appears
to have been cut from a larger piece of paper.
84x75.3
Drawing of woman with wings.
Small card with pencil drawing of woman in skimpy costume
with wings.
86x188.1
Gebhard, F. G.
Vorschrift vor Michael Lang, 1790.
Vorschrift for
Michael Lang, done by F. G. Gebhard,
86x188.2
Gebhard, F. G.
Samples vor Michael Lang, 1791.
Vorschrift
by F. G. Gebhard,
87x163
German
text, circa 1800.
Small paper
with three columns of religious text, in German. Written in red ink, within a red border. An initial (N?) is written four times on the
back. This may have been written by one
student as a gift to a fellow student.
It is possibly from
87x164
Bentzel, Catherine Margaret
Birth and baptismal record, 1838.
Birth and
baptismal record with decorative border, written in English, noting that “Catehrine
[sic] Margrat Bentzel was born …1838, July the 7th and was baptize
[sic] by R. Jerremire Harbel.” The
border design includes trees, stars, a moon, and other decorations.
87x165
Grimm,
Elisabetha.
First lines
of hymns, 1772.
A list of the first lines of hymns, written
for or by Elisabetha Grimm of Wessenburg in 1772. In German; includes an alphabet.
87x166
Christman, Jacob.
Wer euch höret, de höret
The text of
this vorschrift from1793 is about preaching.
It also includes alphabets of large and small letters and Arabic
numerals. The name Jacob Christman
appears. All are within a decorative
border.
87x167
Döwler, Johannes.
In dulci jubilo, 1798.
German text
of hymn “In Dulci Jubilo,” signed by Johannes Döwler, 1798. The numbers 1-50 are written between the hymn
text and Döwler’s name. On back:
additional writing and a drawing of a head.
87x168
Klee, Friedrich
Vorschrift for Amos Schuy, 1832.
Eine Vorschrift
written by schoolmaster Friedrich Klee for Amos Schuy, March 25, 1832, in
05x19
Lord’s Prayer, ca.1800-1830.
The Lord’s
Prayer written in a minuscule hand within a circle, which is enclosed within a
decorated square. Although it has been
suggested that this was a funerary remembrance, nothing about the item supports
this.
12x126
Heart and
arrow with poem,
circa
1800-1825
A
heart-shaped item, with an arrow coming out of it, on which is written a poem
or inscription in German. The poem
mentions Jesus Christ. A partial
transcription (but no translation) of the German is included.
12x153
Addition
beispiele
Circa 1740?
A leaf from
a cyphering book, with examples of problems in addition, kept by a German
speaker. It is unclear whether “1740”
was a year or a figure in an exercise problem.
Calligraphy was used to write the page heading, part of which might be
the student’s name.
Other
calligraphy and writing items (not a comprehensive list):
Doc.
1066 Calligraphic exercise belonging to David Geissinger, dated April 18,
180-. In German; English translation and
other information about this document are filed with it. (acc. 65x582)
Doc.
1543 Two pages of Fraktur in booklet.
Illustration of birds and tulips on bookplate of
Doc. 1544 writing exercise in
English, possibly by Henry G. (acc. 75x158.36)
Doc.
1545 Writing sample; crudely done script. By Ruth Heald, 1812. Paper is watermarked, with HGG (see photo in
folder). (acc. 76x433)
Doc.
1546 The Lord's Prayer, written very small in the shape of the script letter
R. Signed and dated across the bottom: “Respectfully dedicated to John A. Reed,
Esq., 573 Broadway, N.Y. Executed by
David Davidson, 204 East Broadway,
Doc.
1547 Short poem entitled “