“B” from ABC Book at Ephrata Cloister

The arts — particularly hand-drawn illustrations and music manuscripts — played an important part in the daily lives of the members of Ephrata Cloister, founded in 1732 by Conrad Beissel (1691–1768) in Lancaster County. The religious community created its own distinctive fraktur, ornate illuminations for manuscripts, wall charts, and bookplates. The highest form and best-known example of Ephrata...
read more

Discovering Religious Diversity Along the Pennsylvania Trails of History

William Penn (1644-1718) knew well the sting of discrimination and the misery of persecution for his religious beliefs. He suffered the consequences of breaking with the Church of England, leading to estrangement from his father, Admiral Sir William Penn (1621-1670). When imprisoned for attending meetings of the Society of Friends – commonly called Quakers and Friends – the younger...
read more

Bookshelf

Paint, Pattern and People: Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1725–1850 by Wendy A. Cooper and Lisa Minardi published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011; 277 pages, cloth, $55.00 A sumptuous celebration of workmanship and artistry, Wendy A. Cooper and Lisa Minardi’s Paint, Pattern and People: Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1725–1850, is a landmark book exploring the...
read more