Friedrich Krebs
Birth and Baptismal Certificate

Public Domain

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Printer Friedrich Krebs (American, active 1790–1815)American, active 1790–1815

CultureAmerican

Titles

Birth and Baptismal Certificate

Datec. 1790–1800

PlacePennsylvania, United States

Printed inReading, Pennsylvania, United States

MediumInk, watercolor, and letterpress on laid paper

DimensionsSheet: 12 1/4 × 15 3/8 in. (31.1 × 39.1 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg

Object numberB.63.152

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

PRINTS

DescriptionElaborate birth and baptismal certificates were important markers of these milestones in Pennsylvania German communities. While earlier examples were drawn and written entirely by hand, by the late 1700s, some began to incorporate preprinted text. This example was made for a boy named Peter Kind, who was born on May 27, 1810, in Forks Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in the far east-central portion of the state. Friedrich Krebs executed this certificate on a form that was printed for him for the purpose. He later added the necessary names, dates, and information, and added the hand-drawn embellishments.
Provenance[Virginia A. and Richard H. Wood, Baltimore]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1960; given to MFAH, 1963.

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