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		The Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England by D. Brenton Simons, Peter Benes, New England Historic Genealogical Society In this lavishly illustrated volume, which features over 200 halftones and sixteen color plates from public and private collections, distinguished experts in history, art, and genealogy explore the important but often overlooked relationship between material culture and family history in New England during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The contributors examine a broad range of family record artifacts, including genealogical samplers, mourning embroideries, pen-and-ink family registers, gravestones, heraldica, textiles, furniture, silver, and portraiture. An indispensable resource on the world of decorative arts and its significance in preserving "family identity," this beautiful work provides much valuable information and research clues for modern-day genealogists.
		Heavenly Visions: Shaker Gift Drawings and Gift Songs by France Morin (Editor) During the spiritual revival known as "Mother Ann's Work" or the "Era of Manifestations" (1837-1850), Shakers throughout the eastern United States experienced instances of intense communion, believing they served as instruments for heavenly spirits. Moved by a dream state or ecstatic possession, these (mostly) women and girls perceived images, songs, and texts that were recorded in writing, drawing, or a combination of both. A flourishing of art in a culture that had previously condemned all forms of image making, the works were considered spiritual bequests, not individual creations, and became known as "gift drawings" and "gift songs." Thousands of gift songs were written down during this time, becoming an integral part of the culture of the Shaker community. Only two hundred rarely seen drawings remain in existence. Heavenly Visions includes close to one hundred color plates-including two newly discovered pieces-providing a comprehensive overview to these stunning works.
		Fraktur: Folk Art and Family (Schiffer Book for Collectors) by Corinne P. Earnest, Russell D. Earnest The American fraktur tradition began about 1740 in southeast Pennsylvania, but quickly spread to other states, and remains popular even today. For centuries, these cherished hand-written and watercolor-decorated paper manuscripts have embodied a richness of tradition and culture, blending text with riotous color and Pennsylvania Dutch design. Having roots in medieval European decorated manuscript art, fraktur celebrate family events such as births, baptisms, and marriages among some of America's earliest immigrants of German and Swiss heritage. 230+ photographs, many full page, present exquisite examples of three centuries of American fraktur, interwoven with insightful historical details, information on the making of fraktur, and techniques for preserving these delicate documents. The colorful pages will delight and stimulate curiosity among historians, scholars, and all who appreciate art to explore the hidden treasures that lie at the heart of these charming manuscripts.
		Fraktur Writings and Folk Art Drawings of the Schwenkfelder Library Collection by Dennis K. Moyer, Willard Wetzell The brightly colored tulips and birds of Pennsylvania German folk art are familiar to most Americans. Originally and for many years, they were popular decorations for religious and secular documents produced by pastors, schoolteachers, itinerants, and children in the German settlements of America. This book looks at original examples produced in an area of southeastern Pennsylvania where small religious denominations known as Schwenkfelders settled. It is an introduction to the art, to the area where it was produced, to the people who produced it, and to the friends and relatives who received it. This art is known as Fraktur. The term originally referred to the fancy, formal "broken lettering" of trexts produced in Europe and early America. Eventually the motifs that served as decorations around these texts, even when unaccompanied by text, also were referred to as fraktur. What began as a very formal writing style in Europe -- not unlike typefaces used by the printers of the time -- gradually became an art for the common folk of America. It was often produced in order to inspire or reward children, and was sometimes copied by them.

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