Francis Charles Portzline

Francis Charles Portzline (1771 - 1857) was an American fraktur artist of German birth.

A native of Solingen,[1] Portzline migrated to the United States in 1777,[2] and settled in Franklin Township, York County, Pennsylvania, around 1800. There he operated a general store; its account book still exists in the hands of his descendants. He married Sabina Heiges, a member of a local family, and is believed to have been a schoolteacher at the Franklin Church. Achieving American citizenship in 1804, in 1812 he sold his York County property and moved to Perry County; some years later he moved again, to Snyder County, which would be his home until his death.[1] His property was located along the Susquehanna River, in Perry Township,[3] at the time part of Union County.[2] While living there he continued to farm and teach.[1] The Portzline family cemetery, containing the artist's grave, still exists in Perry Township.[3]

As an artist Portzline is remembered today for a handful of baptismal records for children in the neighborhood, distinguished by their border designs of brightly-colored animals. His work incorporates both German and English. Several pieces, primarily certificates for his own children, are known to survive.[1] Six of his pieces are held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art;[4] other collections holding examples of his work include those of the Winterthur Museum, which owns three works;[5] the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, which owns two;[6] and the Free Library of Philadelphia, which owns one,[6] as does the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College.[7] He was among the folk artists featured in an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932 and 1933.[8]

References
  1. Gerard C. Wertkin (2 August 2004). Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-95614-1.
  2. "Francis Portzline". David Wheatcroft Antiques. Retrieved Apr 4, 2019.
  3. "Portzline Family Cemetery". pagenweb.org. Retrieved Apr 4, 2019.
  4. "Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections : Search Collections". philamuseum.org. Retrieved Apr 4, 2019.
  5. "Search Results - Museum Collection - Winterthur Museum". museumcollection.winterthur.org. Retrieved Apr 4, 2019.
  6. "Colonial Williamsburg Online Collections". Emuseum.history.org. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  7. "Birth and Baptismal Certificate for Maria Portzline | Hood Museum". hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved Apr 4, 2019.
  8. "Francis Portzline | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved Apr 4, 2019.
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