Johann Conrad Gilbert
Johann Conrad Gilbert (1734 - 1812) was an American fraktur artist.
An emigrant from Germany, Gilbert ultimately settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania.[1] By profession he was a Lutheran schoolmaster posted to several churches in Berks and Schuylkill Counties. He was married and had a large family; at his death he left his family Bible, with "writings therein", to a grandson, although this is now lost. Stylistically, Gilbert copied the work of Daniel Schumacher, borrowing also from the work of the Sussel-Washington Artist, whose own work is in turn informed by that of Johann Henrich Otto. His output consisted of baptismal records; presentation pieces, many depicting schoolmasters holding slates; religious texts; and images of the Easter rabbit, the earliest American depictions of the figure. Hallmarks of his frakturs include careful lines, deep color, and exotically-dressed angels. His designs are whimsical, and appear meant for children rather than for adults.[2]
Two examples of Gilbert's Easter rabbit paintings are in museum collections, one in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the other in the Winterthur Museum.[3][4]
References
- ^ "Winterthur Museum Acquires One of the Earliest Known American Depictions of the Easter Bunny". artdaily.com. Retrieved Apr 9, 2019.
- ^ Gerard C. Wertkin (2 August 2004). Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-95614-1.
- ^ "Blog: The Easter Bunny is Pennsylvania Dutch". Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved Apr 9, 2019.
- ^ "Colonial Williamsburg Online Collections". emuseum.history.org. Retrieved Apr 9, 2019.
 | This article about a painter from the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- American painter stubs
- 1734 births
- 1812 deaths
- Fraktur artists
- Schoolteachers from Pennsylvania
- Painters from Pennsylvania
- German schoolteachers
- American male painters
- 18th-century American painters
- 19th-century American painters
- People from Berks County, Pennsylvania
- German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
- 18th-century American educators
- 19th-century American educators