Pennsylvania Dutch / Fraktur (18th–19th century)
Pennsylvania German Fraktur documents and hex signs use animals and figures that are purely heraldic and emblematic — not naturalistic, not cartoons. The distelfink bird is a flat stylised silhouette in strict profile, with a fan tail and a single decorative eye dot, like a playing card symbol. Horses are profile silhouettes with a stylised mane, stiff legs, and decorative dots or chevrons as internal pattern. Human figures when they appear are flat and frontal like paper dolls — simplified features, arms held out symmetrically, no shading or perspective of any kind. Everything is flat pattern, as if cut from coloured paper or embroidered on cloth. Think heraldry or playing card suits, not illustration.
Fête poster
This time it settled on two mirrored, brightly patterned birds around a central arrangement of tulips and foliage. Another go would keep the style's own kind of subject while offering different birds and tulips.
Gig poster
This time it landed on a symmetrical Pennsylvania Dutch folk emblem, with two patterned birds facing a central tulip amid red, blue and green floral scrollwork. Another go would keep the style's own kind of subject while offering different birds and tulips.
