Daniel Schumacher (c. 1728–1787) was an American

fraktur Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. It is designed such that the beginnings and ends of the individual strokes that make up each letter will be clearly vis ...

painter. He was the first artist to use fraktur as a method of general record-keeping, rather than a document of important events. Schumacher was born in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

; his name is found on a ship's manifest from Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, in 1751, at which time his profession is given as "candidate of theology". His education was poor, and he had no ministerial qualifications; even so, Lutheran congregations in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

needed a pastor, and he was able to make a living at the profession. He was active during his career in Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties. Schumacher kept records of various pastoral acts, decorating them with images of flowers and angels; from 1754 until 1773 he kept a similar book of his own, noting each child he baptized or confirmed. Other motifs to appear in his work include the eye of God and hearts. He attempted to depict Lutheran doctrine in six drawings; he drew New Year greetings to friends, and produced other drawings as well. Some of his frakturs contain poems of his own composition. Schumacher married and had a family, and owned a farm of one hundred acres. He died in Weisenberg Township, Pennsylvania . Schumacher was a controversial figure during his life, being accused of drunkenness on numerous occasions, and leaving his first wife soon after their wedding. He eventually ran afoul of his superior,

Henry Muhlenberg Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (born Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg; September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), was a Holy Roman Empire, German-born Lutheran clergyman and missionary. Born in Einbeck, Muhlenberg immigrated to the Province of Pennsylv ...

, who ultimately dismissed him from his post as a pastor; he did, however, have supporters elsewhere in the Lutheran community, and was able to find another position. Surviving pieces by Schumacher may be found in the collections of the

New-York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...

, the

Winterthur Museum Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home of Henry Francis du Pont ...

, and the Monroe County Historical Association in

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Stroudsburg is a borough in and the county seat of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies within the Poconos region approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence of Brodhead Creek, McMichaels, ...

References

Year of birth uncertain 1720s births 1787 deaths German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Painters from Hamburg 18th-century American Lutheran clergy People from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania American male painters 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists Religious leaders from Pennsylvania Fraktur artists Painters from Pennsylvania {{US-reli-bio-stub