TRUE LOVER'S KNOT

In 18th and early 19th century America, popular amongst some Pennsylvania Quakers, this form of handmade love token included a penned message within mazelike linear bands enclosing English text. It is possible to follow the text along more than one path and still come out with a sensible message. To read the text from any entry point, one rotates the token.

Welcome

I'm in the process of researching as best I can the history and family history of this artifact, inherited from my mother's paternal DAVIS family. This has further lead to a better understanding of my family genealogy (many of whom were early American Welsh, English and Irish Quaker pioneers), and the origin of these types of folk paper love tokens, made before the advent of regular postal systems and printed valentine cards came into regular use-- between approximately 1760 and 1840.

True Lover's Knot, dated 1801

Artist: Hugh Pugh (b.1747/8— d. aft 1807)

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About Me

Meg SM: Southern New Jersey, United States; Longtime Graphic Designer with a second career in Kitchen Design; Wife 2.0; Mother of 1/Stepmother of 2, Aunt & Great Aunt, "Baby" Sister, Amateur family researcher. Fraktur and Font Fanatic.

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Another decade older and still charming!

This fine example of
calligraphic American folk art
turns 210 years old Friday, December 9th!

Posted by Meg SM at 8:34 AM No comments:

Labels: American folk art, calligraphy, folk art, hugh pugh, ink, labyrinth, mary fisher, pemanship, quill, script, True Lover's Knot

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Hugh PUGH's signature monogram

Detail from Lover's Knot. "Lovers well know what it is to part, When between two Lovers there is but one Heart. H. Pugh"

HILLES Farm, near Brownsville, PA.

Occupied by Wm & Rebecca (PUGH) HILLES beginning 1795. Westland, Washington Co. Hugh PUGH lived here with his older sister Rebecca circa 1803. Photo 2007, courtesy Edgar Harris, California Area Historical Society, California, PA.

Dunnings Creek Meetinghouse, original structure. Fishertown, Bedford Co., PA

Mary FISHER married Benjamin BOWEN here, February 20th, 1805.

Mary (FISHER) BOWEN's headstone

Original Location Friends Burial Ground, St. Clair, Bedford Co., PA. Salvaged from destruction, 2006.