Pa. German Ship 1938

Marie Lutrell made this ship drawing on paper. Lutrell was born in 1855, and this drawing was made in 1939. This image evokes the crucial role of ships in the history of German immigration to Pennsylvania, beginning in the late 17th century and continuing through the 19th. We see here a full-rigged sailing ship, the kind that would have carried passengers and goods across the Atlantic. Its sails are set, ready to catch the wind. The Pennsylvania "Dutch," as they were often called, brought with them distinctive cultural traditions, including language, religion, and folk art. What's fascinating here is how Lutrell appropriates a traditional emblem of Pennsylvania German heritage. She made it at a time when that culture was being integrated into mainstream American society. To understand this work better, we might research the history of German immigration, Pennsylvania folk art, and the artist's biography. The meaning of art lies in its historical and institutional context.