Oh how I wish there were an endless trove of little fraktur watercolor drawings like this out there for me to stumble upon--honestly, the brilliance of the colors and boldness of the patterns and just pure full-of life-marvelousness of the birds and bearded man in his yellow pants feel to me as if product of divine intervention! Alas, it's a rare moment. This is Pennsylvania German, done on the reverse side of the detached cover of a small notebook used as a ledger of accounts, commenced in 1857. That notebook, along with its--also detached--back cover came along with it and are included here. And while clearly it is the watercolor that sold me, the ledger is interesting too, progressing from German to English over the course of 15 or so years, and looking to me written in several different hands, perhaps with a second generation making the switch to English. I can't read the German, but the English tracks the sale of a range of (very German) items sold to specific people, such as sled, broom, frying pan, leather cutter, keg, seed potatoes, apple butter, sausage cutter, etc.etc.
5 13/16" x 3 11/16". About 30 pages to the notebook, filled front and back. Both covers detached, but everything in good shape otherwise, notebook binding holding well and pages in good shape. Covers are not hardboard, but rather light weight and pliable, with paper adhered to the reverse (interior) sides.
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