Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning

by Dan and Thomas E Graves Yoder, Thomas E. Graves

Helps us to understand hex signs as no other work on the subject ever has.-Simon Bronner, author of Following Tradition A landmark in the study of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art.-Henry Glassie, author of The Spirit of Folk Art A revised and expanded edition of the classic work on hex-sign barn decorations, offering insight into their various forms, geographical spread, European origins, evolution in Pennsylvania, and current use in tourism, advertising, and regional art. The authors explore the meaning of the symbols by examining evidence from popular writers, scholars, and contemporary hex-sign painters. Full-color photographs display the grandeur of this Pennsylvania Dutch phenomenon.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 1989

Reviews

[J Neely]

Informative, and attempts to be neutral in providing a review of other prior works and evidence based research as well as more tourism based ideas. Photos of many extant examples at the time of publishing may serve to preserve some history.
Notes from interviews with actual artisans provides grounded contrasts.

[Eric]

An extremely interesting read about Pennsyvania Dutch folk art specifically the hex sign and it's history. A fun remberance of a childhood past with family to get meats and shoe fly pies and just drive around exploring. A simple and nostalgic read.

[Joey Diehl]

I picked this up on a whim from the library but I’m glad I read this. It gave me a bit more appreciation for my upbringing and sparked some nostalgic memories of lazy summer days watching my grandmother paint hex signs for hours on end.

[Cara]

I really enjoyed this book. Having Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry and heritage, I read it to learn more about those mysterious, and beautiful, hex signs. It was pretty informative, even if the first edition is a little dated nowadays. I recognized a lot of the barns from growing up in the area. I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to read a genuine study of the hex signs, rather than folklore or speculation.

[Scott Robinson]

Excellent introduction to the topic.