Preview
Accession Number
PAG1998.199
Creation Date
1821
Description
Printed Taufschein with angels in yellow robes facing forward on sides, birds in bottom corners, eagle with shield in top center
Dimensions in Inches
16 x 13
Dimensions in Centimeters
41 x 33
Materials
Watercolor and Ink on wove Paper
Technique
Drawn, Hand colored, Hand lettered
Print Shop Location
Hanover, Pennsylvania
Associated Places
Maidencreek Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania
Category
Birth and baptismal certificate (Geburts-und-Taufschein)
Motifs
birds, angels, clouds, leaves, harps
Associated Names
Johannes Becker, Elisabetha Kaufmann, David, Pauli, Elisabetha Becker
Rights
Please contact the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College for permissions which fall outside of educational fair use.
Source
Ursinus College Library Special Collections and the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art
Provenance
Pennsylvania Folklife Society
Script/Text
German script
Language
German
Transcription
Wenn wir kaum geboren werden,/Ist vom ersten Lebenstritt,/Bis zum kühlen Grab der Erden,/Nur ein kurz gemessner Schritt,/Ach mit jedem Augenblick,/Gehet unsere Kraft zurück;/Und wir sind mit jedem Jahre,/ Reif genug zur Todtenbahre.
Und wer weiß in welcher Stunde,/Uns die letzte Stimme weckt,/Denn Gott hat’s mit seinem Munde,/Keinem Menschen noch entdeckt./Wer sein Haus nun wohl bestellt,/Geht mit Freuden aus der Welt,/Da die Sicherheit hingegen,/Ewigs Sterben kann erregen.
Geburt und/Tauf=Schein./Diesen beyden Ehegatten, als/Johannes Becker/und seiner Ehefrau Elisabetha eine/geborne Kaufmann ist ein Sohn zur Welt/geboren, im Jahr unsers Herrn 1820 den 6ten/Tag April. Dieser Sohn ist geborn in Meden/Krick Taunschipp in Bercks Caunty, in dem Freystaat Penn-/sÿlvanien in Nord=Amerika, ist getauft worden/und erhielt den Namen David den 12 ten/Tag October im Jahr unsers Herrn 1822/von Hrn. Pauli Die Taufzeugen waren:/Joh:Nicol Becker und seine Ehefrau Elisabetha
Ich bin getauft in deinem Namen,/Gott Vater, Sohn und heiliger Geist,/Ich bin gezählt zu deinem Saamen,/Zum Volk, das Dir geheiligt heißt./O welch ein Glück ward dadurch mein,/Herr, laß mich dessen würdig seyn!
Ich bin getauft, ich steh’ im Bunde,/Durch meine Tauf mit meinem Gott,/So sprech ich stets mit frohem Munde,/In Kreuz, in Trübsal, Angst und Noth,/Ich bin getauft, deß freu ich mich,/Die Freude bleibet ewiglich.
Ich bin getauft ob ich gleich sterbe,/Was schadet mir das kühle Grab?/Ich weiß mein Vaterland und Erbe,/Das ich bey Gott im Himmel hab./Nach meinem Tod ist mir bereit,/Des Himmels Freud= und Feyerkleid.
Hannover,/gedruckt bey/Dan. Phil./Lange/1821.
Translation
When we are just born…
Birth and Baptismal Certificate. To both of these spouses, Johannes Becker and his legal wife Elisabetha a born Kaufmann is a son to the world born, in the year of our Lord, 1820 the 6th Day of April. This son was born in Maidencreek Township in Berks County in the free state of Pennsylvania in North America, was baptized and received the name David the 12th day of October in the year of our Lord 1822 by Mister Pauli The baptismal sponsors were Johan Nicol Becker and his legal wife Elisabetha.
I was baptized in your name…
I was baptized, I stand in the union…
I was baptized, if I die immediately…
Hannover, printed by Daniel Phillip Lange, 1821.
Comment
Several pieces are known from the hand of this artist, who colored his angels in bright yellow dresses and often colored their feet blue. Despite the printed design of their dress, the artist in this case left the top of the gown uncolored and added very distinct nipples in red. York County certificates are also distinguished for their common use of the term “Freystaat” (free state) of Pennsylvania instead of simply “Staat.”
Condition
Good
Bibliographical Reference
Stopp #301
Published
Stopp, Klaus. The Printed Birth and Baptismal Certificates of the German Americans. 6 vols. (Mainz, Germany, and East Berlin, Pa.: privately published, 1997–99). vol. 2, p. 248.
File Format
.jpeg
Type
image
Keywords
fraktur, Pennsylvania German, Pennsylvania Dutch, folk art, illuminated manuscript, taufschein
Image Location
Rights Statement
No Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Only. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/
This object has been digitized in a public-private partnership. As part of this partnership, the partners have agreed to limit commercial uses of this digital representation of the object by third parties. You can, without permission, copy, modify, distribute, display, or perform the digital object, for non-commercial uses. For any other permissible uses, please review the terms and conditions of the organization that has made the item available.
