A fine Barbara Ebersol fraktur sold at Conestoga Auction Company on June 13 for $5,900 to a private collector. Ebersol (1846-1922) was Amish and also a dwarf. She lived in Upper Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pa. A member of the Gemeinde (community of the redeemed within the Old Order tradition), she was mostly known for drawing German-language watercolor bookplates.
A lot has been published on Ebersol, and this vividly colored sampler fraktur drawing is widely considered among her most accomplished works. Reading “Anna/Stolzfusz/1864/Barbara Ebersol” and measuring 11 by 14.5 inches, the work in red, yellow, and black is highlighted by a soldier on horseback in the lower right.
Also in the sale were her crutches and small rocking chair, which sold together for $2,596.