AFA Autumn 2021

2021 Antiques & Fine Art 93 lettering before transitioning to German script for the rest of the text. It lacks the usual alphabet and numeral systems that were typically included at the bottom; these pieces were often given to children who were learning to write so that they could practice copying the letters. The fraktur is signed on the back in German script by Martin Gottschall (Fig. 3). Fraktur are rarely signed, making this example an important clue that will enable future researchers to identify additional examples of Martin Gottschall’s work. Eleven years younger than Martin, Samuel Gottschall (1808–1898) was the eighth child of Jacob and Barbara Gottschall. Samuel taught at the schoolhouse erected on his father’s property during the mid-1830s—coinciding with his production of fraktur, most of which is dated 1834 or 1835. The Dietrich American Foundation owns three examples of his work, all dated 1835. The best-known example is a striking drawing of three women (Fig. 4) that reflects a clear familiarity with the earlier work done by Jacob Gottschall in Fig. 6: Religious text attributed to Samuel Gottschall (1808–1898). Franconia Township, Montgomery County, Pa., 1835. Watercolor and ink on wove paper, 6½ by 4¼ inches. The Dietrich American Foundation (7.9.1294). Photo by Gavin Ashworth. Fig. 5: Bookplate for Martin Gottschall attributed to Samuel Gottschall (1808–1898). Franconia Township, Montgomery County, Pa., 1835. Watercolor and ink on wove paper, 6¼ x 3¾ inches. The Dietrich American Foundation (7.9.1323). Photo by Gavin Ashworth. the 1790s. While both father and son drew the women in vertically striped dresses and with hands on their hips, Samuel Gottschall’s women are rendered in astonishingly bold fashion, with thick black outlines that provide a sharp contrast against the paper background. This piece exemplifies Samuel’s use of jewel-tone pigments and his technique of “pooling” the watercolors to create a mottled effect. He also used a thick binder, probably gum arabic, which over time gives a shiny, crystalline look to the colors. Some of Samuel Gottschall’s fraktur art was made for family members rather than his pupils. He may have kept the drawing of three women for himself, as it remained in the Gottschall family until 1998, when the foundation acquired it from descendant Katharine Steele Renninger (1925–2004), a noted Bucks County artist. Samuel Gottschall also produced a number of bookplates, including one for his brother Martin (Fig. 5). Made for a hymnal printed by Michael Billmeyer of Germantown in 1811, the