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This wonderfully colourful design is
based on heart motifs and patterns from various forms
of American folk art. The central square is inspired
by a bookplate of 1795 in the fraktur tradition. Fraktur
was the style of hand-decorated manuscripts primarily
worked by immigrant Pennsylvanian-German families in
America.
The panel to the top right is adapted
from a wooden butter mold from 1800 to 1850. Below this,
is a design based on an 18th century pierced tin mould
used for making pressed egg cheese at Easter, a favourite
dish of the Pennsylvania Germans. In the bottom right
corner is the very popular motif of 'heart in hand',
which was originally the trade sign for marriage insurance
offices in 18th century England, symbolising 'giving
one's hand in marriage'. This association continued
in America, where it also came to mean friendship. The
heart to the left is taken from a Fraktur from Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania. The panel in the bottom left hand
corner is based on a wooden sign for the Odd Fellows'
meeting house, with the three links representing friendship,
love & truth. The organisation offered sick & death
benefits in times of distress to the middle & industrial
classes. The design above this is taken from a birth
& baptism certificate from 1798. Above this, is a small
heart based on an embroidered quilt from the 19th century.
The motif in the top left hand corner is from another
fraktur. To the right of this is an adaptation of a
pottery cake mould & the next design along, the two
hearts intertwined, is taken from a paper love token
dating from between 1790 to 1810.
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