The Face of God Fraktur
I decided that I wanted to combine my fraktur (18th & 19th Century German-American folk art) work with my leather work in some way. Some sort of embroidery seemed the most sensible way to do it. So, I decided to create an original fraktur design hand embroidered on a canvas insert in the flap of a Fur Trade era hunting pouch. This hunting pouch (#36) is the result of that idea. This is not a strictly historically correct pouch. I have taken some creative license to pursue my artistic interests in fraktur.
The fraktur is titled the Face of God; representative of Jesus Christ (in the form of the peacock) as the human face of the trinity (in the form of three tulips on each branch of the tree of life stemming from the heart of God) and the model for our lives. It is stitched on natural cotton duck canvas using cotton embroidery floss. About half the time to complete this pouch is in the execution of the fraktur. More pouches with different original hand embroidered fraktur are to follow. That art work will be featured here.
The pouch itself is the best that I know how to make. It is hand stitched using waxed linen thread out of 2-3 oz (new pouches will have 6 oz leather straps) vegetable tan cowhide, fully lined with a period red print, and incorporating rolled welts, rolled bindings, and a flap lining of calfskin. The pouch is 8 1/2″ x 9″ overall with a main storage area that is about 5″ x 8″. There is an internal pocket for small items. The strap passes through the top of the apron and is stitched inside the pouch for the cleanest possible appearance. The strap can be adjusted via a brass buckle to a maximum of 57″ top of bag to top of bag. I will make the strap accommodate any buyer.
As with all my leather work, the leather is stained with the period correct vinegar and iron for a blue-black to dark brown finish. Mink oil is put on top of that. I have not aged this pouch in any way. The wrinkles in the leather are just from turning it.
If you like this, perhaps you might be interested in some of my other fraktur such as my Birth/Baptismal/Marriage Certificates or paintings.
The God of Peace and Love
This pouch (#38) is identical to the one above (#36) in all ways except for the fraktur insert. The insert is hand embroidered on natural cotton duck canvas using French made cotton embroidery floss. The design is entitled “The God of Peace and Love.”
Photos of Pouch #38 are shown below.
A Pouch for My Brother
This hunting pouch (#40) was created just for my brother. He wanted the first bag I created above (#36), but spoke up a little too late. That bag went fast. The followup fraktur embroidery that I did wasn’t all that appealing to him. So, I created this one. It has a similar symbology to the first pouch with a single peacock, front and center, representing Christ as the human face of God. The three tulips represent the Trinity. I have just included a photo of the flap. The rest is pretty much the same as the bags above.
