Pennsylvania Dutch Himmelsbrief 19th Century
$300
In stock
Description
Anonymous. A Letter Written By God Himself and Let Down at Magdeburg. Pennsylvania: c. 19th Century. 1pp, 12″x9.5″ printed broadside.
Scarce 19th-century, English language Pennsylvania Dutch Himmelsbrief, or, “Heaven Letter”, this German folk magic practice dates to as early as the 1500s was brought to the United States in the 18th Century by Amish and Mennonite settlers.
Supposed to have been written by God and dropped from the sky or delivered by an Angel (this one, specifically states Magdeburg, Germany in 1783), Himmelsbriefs were somewhere between early chain letters and homeowners’ insurance. Properly installed and venerated in the home, this Himmelsbrief is said to protect against famine, pestilence, and war, which made Magdeburg Himmelsbriefs surge in popularity during the First World War as many German soldiers carried them into battle (Davies, A Supernatural War).
This copy, unusual in English, was likely printed in the mid-1800s by an unknown printer in Pennsylvania. Although German copies using the same design have been located, per research as of March 2020, no duplicates have been found. General soiling and darkening from age, losses along edges, creased from past folding. Partially detached along horizontal folds. Good condition.
If you liked this Pennsylvania Dutch Himmelsbrief and would like to see more unusual religious ephemera, take a look at this handwritten copy of the so-called Prophecies of Saint Odile from the Second World War.
