Current Exhibitions

Native Son: The Life and Art of David Ellinger is a significant retrospective exhibition featuring nearly 100 works of art by local artist David Ellinger (1913-2003).

A self-taught folk artist, Ellinger grew up on his grandparents' farm in Trappe. From these humble beginnings, he embarked on a creative journey that would later become a bridge between generations and cultures. Ellinger's progress as an artist accelerated in 1935 when he joined the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to contribute to the Index of American Design project. His artistic prowess rapidly gained recognition, leading to a series of solo exhibitions in prominent art hubs such as Philadelphia and New York during the mid-1940s. Ellinger's paintings, depicting picturesque scenes of Pennsylvania German barns, country auctions, Amish family farms, and other rustic vistas, played a pivotal role in kindling widespread fascination with Pennsylvania German culture during the latter half of the 20th century. His work resonated deeply with an audience captivated by folk art and nostalgic reverence for an agricultural past. Characterized by vibrant colors and adorned with Pennsylvania German motifs, including birds, tulips, and hearts, Ellinger's art continues to captivate collectors of folk art and Americana.

Highlights include:

• ● Botanical drawings from 1927, created when Ellinger was a mere 14 years old.
• ● Impressionist landscapes and still lifes from the 1930s and 40s.
• ● River Brethren, a stark modernist rendering of a local meetinghouse from 1935.
• ● Garden Path, circa 1945, one of Ellinger's most extensive and detailed creations.
• ● Flowers I Grew, a still life painted shortly after Ellinger's first home purchase in 1945.
• ● Fertile Moon, circa 1950, a modernist portrayal of a Pennsylvania German farm.
• ● Cornucopia, 1958, one of Ellinger's earliest theorem paintings.
• ● Down Loudle Creek Way, circa 1967, depicts a wintry local farmstead scene.

A full color, 132 page exhibit catalog is also available for $30.

The Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, located at the Dewees Tavern, is open on Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays from 12 to 4 pm. For a tour outside these times, contact [email protected] or (610) 489-7560 to make an appointment.