Pennsylvania German Arts and Antiques

Belsnickel visits Kutztown for Christmas

"Each Belsnickel carried a bag with nuts, cakes, candy or fruit as gifts for the children they visited. Occasionally, musicians accompanied the Belsnickels and dancing took place at the homes they visited. Little of the tradition remains today, but Beidelman recalled the tradition with fondness."

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A New Website: John Fass: A Pennsylvania Dutch Artist in New York City

Above: John Stroble Fass   (born 1890 - died 1973)

 

Above: Photography and Letterpress Printing by John Fass

John Stroble Fass was a graphic designer and a printer of fine press books. Fass designed books for the leading American publishers of limited edition books.

Collectors of private press books also remember John Fass for the handcrafted books he printed on a tabletop printing press in his one-room apartment at the Bronx YMCA. John named this press the Hammer Creek Press, for the stream which flows near his hometown of Lititz, PA. 

Website by Lee J. Stoltzfus

The website is Here

Artist Peter Gross: Grandson of Fraktur Artist Durs Rudy

"The history of Peter Gross’s massive painting, despite its size, was not an easy one to trace. According to Fischer the painting was first shown at the Paris Salon of 1892. Gross, who considered it his masterpiece, had been living in France since 1877.  Gross was born in Schnecksville in 1849.   His grandfather was Durs Rudy, a well-known Pennsylvania German artist."

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The Breininger Sale on Philly.com

"With Pennsylvania German roots going back nine generations, it is no surprise that Berks County residents Lester and Barbara Breininger assembled traditional arts and crafts of that community with a comprehensiveness hard to exceed."

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Researching Lebanon Gunsmiths

"Little is known about the local gunsmiths. However, their guns tell us something of their skills. John Beck's firearms feature sturdy, wide butt stocks with a high and wide butt plate, according to authors Beverly Manbeck and Bruce R. Reed, who co-wrote 'Pennsylvania/Kentucky Longrifles and its Lebanon County Connection.'"

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Map for Pennsylvania Dutch Tourism in Berks County

"The Greater Reading Convention and Visitors Bureau launched a Pennsylvania Dutch Trail this fall, giving participants a chance to explore attractions, art, history, food and merchandise in the area. The trail is designed to lead visitors on self-guided tours at their convenience, said Crystal Seitz of the Greater Reading Convention and Visitors Bureau."

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