David Landis and his Pluck Art Printing Parlor
Above: David Landis Self-Portrait. Printed in 1897.
Above: Detail of David Landis' 1897 Print-Shop Advertisement
David Landis is my favorite "Plain or Odd" Lancaster printer. His stylish printing was a dramatic splash of creativity, in a world filled with his plain Mennonite relatives and conservative neighbors.
David was a printer with the soul of an artist. David's biography is Here, at the Lancaster County Historical Society.
David's work was in great demand, for his printed creations were high-style and highly-crafted. He had his finger on the pulse of all the current local fashions in graphic design and typography.
You are Invited: Lawn Parties, Soirees, and Pie Socials:
David seems to have cornered a market for printing stylish invitiatons for Lancaster's social circles. His party invitations are a showcase of elegant design and refined typography.
His printed invitations were for a Who's Who of Lancaster party people: small-town socialites, downtown church ladies, and farmers' wives who threw lawn parties.
David called this printing his "society work," rather than his "job work."
These invitations are approximately four-inches in height. They are printed on fine, card-stock paper. The reverse sides are blank.
(Click the invitations to enlarge.)
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Above: An 1894 Lawn Party by Abram and Jacob Root at East Petersburg,
And a Fate Soiree by Lovice Wynetta Bard for Miss Apgar, Miss Moore, and Miss Matz.
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Above: An 1896 Pie Social and Musicale at St. Paul's Reformed Church,
And a 1902 Straw Ride by Frank F. Ruhl at Roseville.
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Above: A 1902 Evening Sociable by Miss Barbara A. Trout at Landisville,
And a 1902 Evening Sociable by Miss Bertha A. Long at Lititz.
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Above: a 1902 Evening Sociable by Miss Nettie L. Lefever at Oregon,
And a 1904 Evening Sociable by Misses Kathryn and Anna Lefever at Neffsville.
(Click the Invitations to Enlarge.)
