A Rare 1805 German-American Broadside
Christian Ritter’s Europäisches Pferde-Pulver; protecting one of German-American farmers’ most critical tools and assets; the horse
Let’s keep your horse as healthy as a horse. A rare c. 1805 Pennsylvania-German broadside, advertising Ritter’s powder, touts a product to ensure the well-being — of that most vital of assets to the early 19th-century American — yes, the horse.
“Without a horse, an inhabitant was nailed to the ground” ¹
The only example of this rare broadside we can track down is at the Library Company of Philadelphia. As they note, the broadside is absent from Arndt and Eck, and they suggest a printing date of c. 1805. And the last line indicates a Reading, Pennsylvania imprint: “Dieses Pulver ist zu haben bey Christian Ritter, in der Stadt Reading.”
For the Pennsylvania-German farmer keeping a horse looking healthy, and feelinghealthy, was not just a matter of civic pride or detached benevolence. Horses were among the prized financial assets a farmer would have in case of a family emergency when cash was quickly needed. Or upon his death when his estate inventory was being reckoned, for either creditors or family members seeking their inheritance.
In 2013, Hermann Wellenreuther published Citizens in a Strange Land: A Study of German-American Broadsides and Their Meaning for Germans in North America, 1730–1820 (Penn State Press, 2013).
Mr. Wellenreuther discusses, in brief, Ritter’s broadside, and others of its kind. This passage from the Chapter Two’s “The German-American Secular World” offers excellent insight. We abridge, slightly:
The high value of horses meant that their health was of major concern, as reflected in the number of broadsides that offered medication or advice … Surprisingly, no German printer before 1802 published a treatise on the diseases of horses, although quite a few were available in English. Thus, it is not surprising that at least some broadsides tried to provide the information German farmers otherwise could not get. ‘Recepte für Pferde,’ mentioned above was first published possibly around 1790, and ‘Christian Ritters Europäisches Pferde-Pulver,’ which promoted minerals as important supplements for horse fodder, was published in 1805 … Horses were vital not only for working the fields but also for transporting goods. During the French and Indian War and the War of Independence German farmers’ horses had been in high demand … Horses would become part of the ostentatious display of the few rich Germans, but more importantly, they were part of the infrastructure system of Pennsylvania. Without a horse, an inhabitant was nailed to the ground. [p120]
German-Americans had a strong print culture in Pennsylvania in the 18th century and, thereafter, into the subsequent centuries. Secular broadsides of this nature addressed the more “earthly” challenges and burdens of life. These were practical people with real day-to-day problems. If Christian Ritter’s mineral powder for horses could keep a German farmer’s horse hale — and in fine fettle in 1805 — all the better.
We would like to know the success Herr Ritter had with his powder. The Rittersurname was well represented in the Pennsylvania counties with sizable German-American populations. Christian may have been related to the German-American Ritters who became printers in the region.
You can find this rare German-American broadside for sale here on our website if it strikes your fancy.
What We Are Talking About — [Christian Ritter] Christian Ritter’s Europäisches Pferde-Pulver. Für das Gelbe Wasser und andere Krankheiten der Pferde. [Reading, Pennsylvania. c. 1805]. Broadside. 5½ x 9¼ inches, landscape. Letterpress. Slightly dust-soiled; very good. [3725349]
Refs. Shaw & Shoemaker 50605. Not in Yoder or Earnest. OCLC, [1], LCP only. Not inArndt and Eck. Notes.
- Wellenreuther, Citizens in a Strange Land: A Study of German-American Broadsides and Their Meaning for Germans in North America, 1730–1820 (Penn State Press, 2013).
American History via rare books, early letters, diaries, manuscripts, ephemera, graphics, bought and sold. We hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by.
