Fraktur (Pennsylvania German folk art)

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An ornate Taufschein, or baptismal certificate

Fraktur is a Blackletter script used to write the German language from the beginning of the Sixteenth Century until 1945. Fraktur enjoyed a resurgence as a font favoured by Heavy Metal bands such as Motörhead, from the 1970s to the present.

In the United States, Fraktur is used to describe highly artistic and elaborate 18th century and 19th century illuminated folk art drawings created by the Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German). Most Fraktur were created between 1740 and 1860.

Fraktur drawings were executed in ink and/or watercolors and are found in a wide variety of forms: the Vorschriften (writing samples), the Taufscheine (birth and baptismal certificates), marriage and house blessings, book plates, and floral and figurative scenes. The earlier Fraktur were executed entirely by hand, while printed text became increasingly common in later examples. Common artistic motifs in Fraktur include birds, hearts, and tulips.

Today, most major American museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art include Fraktur in their collection. Important Fraktur have been sold by major American auction houses and antique dealers for prices in excess of $100,000. The definitive text on Fraktur is widely considered to be The Fraktur-Writings or Illuminated Manuscripts of the Pennsylvania Germans, written by Dr. Donald A. Shelley and published by the Pennsylvania German Society in 1961. In late 2004, part of Dr. Shelley's Fraktur collection was sold at public auction in Pennsylvania for $897,833.