Watercolor Vorschrift and birth record for Elisabeth Meyer, Hereford Township Artist Hereford Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, circa 1817

Watercolor and ink on paper

Inscribed (translated from German) recto, ink: Elisabeth Meyer was born / 25 June 1817 / in Hereford Township / Berks County,  Pennsylvania./ Remember the Lord our God all your days / and refuse to sin or transgress his / commandments. Live uprightly all the days / of your life, and do not walk in the ways / of wrongdoing. Give alms from your possessions to all who / live uprightly. Do not turn your face / away from any poor man, and the face / of God will not be turned away from / you. If you have many possessions, I make your gift from them. Job 4.:10.6. 7- 8. I [followed by numbers and alphabet].

Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Cambridge, Maryland
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, "Important Frakturs Embroidered Pictures Theorem Paintings And Other American Folk Art From The Collection Of Edgar William And Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part II," May 8-9, 1974, lot 9
Ronald Merican, Kingston, New Jersey
Sotheby's New York, January 19-21, 1996, lot 1062

"Calligraphy: 'Why Not Learn to Write,'" American Folk Art Museum, 1975
"Masterpieces of American Folk Art," Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, New Jersey, 1975

Johnson, Bruce A., Calligraphy: "Why Not Learn to Write," New York: American Folk Art Museum, 1975, p. 4
Monmouth Museum, Masterpieces of American Folk Art, Lincroft, New Jersey: Monmouth Museum in association with Monmouth County Historical Association, 1975, n.p.
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 225, fig. 196

Fold-line across horizontal center; some tiny droplets at extreme bottom.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

“Meyer" is a common name, and there were Mennonite Meyers in Hereford Township, so the Vorschrift and birth record may be from this church group as well. Bright American eagles early joined the hearts, flowers, and birds also found on contemporary European peasant art. Eagles were commonly reproduced in printed sources available to the American public. They were by disposition heroic and thus became a natural adoption into the Pennsylvania Germans' design vocabulary. -F.S.W.