German-American Almanacs. A Window on German- American Life

Transcription

1 German-American Almanacs A Window on German- American Life

2 An 1857 Pennsylvania German almanac, printed and published by Johann Bär & Sons of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which followed the basic format and appearance of the almanacs first published by Christopher Sauer in the eighteenth century.

3 A listing of German-American publications inside the pages of this 1870 almanac.

4 In the late nineteenth century, German-American almanacs were issued in English not only to reach American-born readers, but also to reach a wide market and circulation.

5 This 1875 agricultural almanac in English shows the early efforts to reach out to the community at large, not just the German-American community, though keeping with tradition, it was arranged after the German calendar system.

6 Due to the mass-market appeal of almanacs, numerous companies advertised in them, with this one from 1875 showing an advertisement from the Cincinnati German brewing company of Foss-Schneider. Almanacs often appeared in editions running into the tens of thousands.

7 Almanacs were filled with wit, wisdom, and humor. A humorous story about Herring and Beer, and a German-English style poem Dot Schmall Leetle Baby from a Cincinnati German almanac exemplify this particular aspect.

8 Some almanacs were published by medical firms, and carried the usual almanac information, but also plenty of advertisements for their own products. This one was published and distributed gratis by Dr. D. Jayne and Son.

9 Volume 48 of a Cincinnati German almanac carried the image and title of the Cincinnatier hinkende Bote (the Cincinnati limping messenger), which was an image popular on the covers of German and German-American almanacs, and was an historical figure harkening back to survivors of wars before the Thirty Year s War ( ).

10 Dr. J.C. Ayer & Co. published almanacs advertising the firm s various products, such as Ayer s Sarsaparilla, which is depicted on the cover, and is noted for its exceptional medicinal qualities.

11 The Abendschule, published by Louis Lange of St. Louis, was a popular and well-illustrated almanac aimed at German-American Lutherans.

12 Pautsch & Kline, general merchandisers in Centreport, Pennsylvania, published almanacs, this one printed at Reading, Pennsylvania, as the best vehicle for advertising its stock of goods.

13 Almanacs were filled with humorous illustrations, with this one depicting a local public library. The librarian asks if the young lady would be interested in the works of Paul de Kock, such as Der schüchterne Liebhaber (The Shy Admirer). And the response is: Heavens no, the title doesn t appeal to me!

14 Recipes for doughnuts to articles on flannel mixed in with the humor page of this ca volume

15 Humorous stories were well illustrated and drawn from German-American life. Ca. 1900

16 Almanacs were filled with jokes and short stories, as seen here in this ca publication.

17 More wit and humor, ca

18 German-American almanacs also provided the vehicle for illustrating German-American life and festivities, with this example showing the ever-popular annual celelebration of Maifest!

19 German-Americans collected not only German- American almanacs, but also German ones as well for dates of significance, such as for birth-years, anniversaries, graduations, etc. One popular year for German almanacs was 1900, marking the entrance into the 20 th century.

20 Volume 77 of the Pennsylvania German almanac, printed and published by Johann Bär s Sons, bears almost exactly the same design as its predecessors, a visible demonstration of its popularity that also served as its trademark.

21 German-Americans often wrote notes, analogous to diary entries, in their calendars. This 1912 almanac indicates that its owner Started cutting oats at home, July 24 th to 26 A.M. Such notes demonstrate the importance of almanacs in the daily life, as does the fact that they were saved by families like diaries.

22 The Germania Kalender was one of the most popular German-American almanacs in the Midwest, and was published by the firm of Geo. Brumder, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a result of the First World War, the firm changed the name to the America Kalender.

23 Almanacs often featured German folk dress, as seen on this couple here; a reminder of the old country, perhaps, to those longing for a view of their former homeland. Ca. 1920s.

24 Illustrations from Grimm s fairy tales were popular almanac images, such as this of Hansel and Gretl in a 1920s era almanac.

25 Advertisements reveal what items were popular with the general public, as in this ca. 1920s almanac.

26 Due to their popularity, religious denominations published almanacs for their members, this one an example of the 1922 edition published by the German Evangelical Synod of North America s Eden Publishing Co., St. Louis.

27 An almanac listing the Protestant and Catholic calendar as well as historic dates, ca. 1930s.

28 The Pionier, an almanac filled with art deco style illustrations, was published in New York by the New Yorker Volkszeitung, a German-American progressive newspaper supporting the interests of the workingclass.

29 German-American almanacs were published across the U.S., with this being an example of a German-Texan volume for 1935, published by the New Braunfelser Zeitung.

30 A 1936 edition of a German Catholic almanac that was well illustrated and designed for the German Catholic home.

31 A 1942 Texas German-American almanac, filled in part with historical highlights from the state.

32 Almanacs featured historical articles, such as this one on the origin of Uncle (Onkel) Sam from the 1950s.