Johann Adam Eyer (1755–1837) 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 ...

artist.

Early life and education

Eyer was a native of Bedminster Township in

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...

. During his career, he taught school in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

and

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

Counties, but in 1786 moved with his entire family to Upper Mount Bethel Township in Northampton County, where he took a position at the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

school. The family moved again in 1801, settling in Hamilton Township in

Monroe County, Pennsylvania Monroe County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,327. Its county seat is Stroudsburg. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state. The county was formed fr ...

Career

Eyer became a schoolteacher and clerk at Christ Hamilton Lutheran Church in Hamilton Township, Pennsylvania. He never married and remained in Hamilton Township until his death; during his career he taught in

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

and Lutheran schools. Eyer was the eldest son of the family, and in this position presided over the estate of his parents. With his brother Ludwig acting as agent, he founded and developed the town of

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania Bloomsburg is the only incorporated town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located southwest of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre along ...

in 1802. Another brother, Johann Frederick, was a schoolmaster and organist who also produced fraktur. Eyer was friends as well with Andreas Kolb, another fraktur artist and Mennonite minister, with whom he exchanged artworks. In addition to his teaching activities, he was a successful businessman. Eyer produced hundreds of pieces of fraktur during his career, initially copying pieces produced by Mennonite or

Schwenkfelder The Schwenkfelder Church () is a small American Christian body rooted in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation teachings of Caspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig (1489–1561). They originated in southern Germany and were among the first to bring saf ...

artists who created writing samples for their students. These he would fold to make a booklet, with four pages and a cover. Cutting a larger sheet in half lengthwise allowed him to produce a book of musical notation, a skill which he passed on to his pupils as well. Later in life he also produced hymnal

bookplate An , also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. Simple typographical bookplates are ...

s, baptismal records, and presentation drawings, as well as illustrated poems. Also extant is a drawing of a soldier's wedding. The

Mennonite Heritage Center The Mennonite Heritage Center is a museum, library and exhibition space in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, about the Mennonites of Eastern Pennsylvania. Examples of exhibits From April 2017 through March 20 ...

owns several of his works. Three works are held by the

American Folk Art Museum The American Folk Art Museum is an art museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, at 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at 66th Street. It is the premier institution devoted to the aesthetic appreciation of folk art and creativ ...

, while 14 are in 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 ...

. Twelve pieces are owned by the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...

, or have been promised to the museum. Eyer's school roster book survives and has been translated for publication.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyer, Johann 1755 births 1837 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists 18th-century American educators 19th-century American educators 19th-century American male artists 19th-century American painters American city founders American male painters Fraktur artists Painters from Pennsylvania Artists from Bucks County, Pennsylvania People from Monroe County, Pennsylvania People from Northampton County, Pennsylvania Schoolteachers from Pennsylvania