A Veritable and Approved Method, Useful and Applicable in Cases of Fire and Pestilence [Himmelsbrief]

by Anonymous
Publisher: S. l.[Pennsylvania]: s. n.
SKU: 001525
Description: Broadside, n. d. (ca 1830); 9 1/2 x 6; beige sheet, printed and ruled in black; small loss of paper to top edge (not affecting text); unevenly trimmed; a few nicks to edges and small punctures at fold lines; overall very good.Himmelsbrief, in Pennsylvania Dutch, or, Himmelsbriefe, in German, was a religious document, which, according to the text, had been invented by a gypsy in Prussia in 1714 and had been first printed in Koeningsberg in 1715. It gave a prayer which was supposed to protect the family owning the broadside from fire, pestilence, and lightning. It also assured pregnant women that carrying it on their body would repel witchcraft and sorcery. Though extremely popular with the Pennsylvania Dutch and wildly published in German in the late 18th and all through the 19th centuries, the "heavenly letters" were also printed, albeit less often, in English - as is the case with the current one - and various Scandinavian languages. Most of them were sold at fairs and markets and peddled throughout rural communities.

Our Price:$250.00