1848 GERMAN SERVICE BOOK - 18 Year Old SERVANT GIRL’S STATUS & DUTIES DOCUMENT

Description: Antique German booklet, a Rare "Dienstbuch" (literally translated as "Service Book") from the year 1848 (with later notations from 1850), stipulating the status of the individual bearing this document as “servant class”, and stating conditions of their legal employment.. Official Document / Booklet, string bound with a portion of the string sealed with wax on the back page, 4.75" x 7.5", 32 pages. This particular booklet has been given the number 1019 and is made out to a young woman, aged 18. I cannot decipher, from the handwriting, the name and particulars of the girl whose book this was. The servant was required by law to carry this Official Statement of Employment, and had to be shown when proof of employment was required by Police or other authorities. This small publication consists of 32 pages (no covers as issued). Only 9 of the pages have writing or printing, the rest are numbered but blank (kind of like a mostly unused passport). The first page has handwriting and printing, providing points of identification of this Dienstbuch holder. The next 7 pages (2-8) contain printed matter only, including warnings, rules, and governing servitude ordinances. Page 9 is filled in with handwriting, including a couple “1850” dates. I don’t know what the writing says, but I have tried to provide a clear image for those of you who might be able to read the it. The bottom of page 9 has an ink stamp that bears bears the name of the town of Gerstungen in Thuringia. The back page (page 32) has an Official Wax Seal. The wax seal is stamped over the binding threads, making it very difficult for pages to be removed so that false ones could be entered. Condition: Toned, foxed, some soiling, but still solid, clear, and fully legible. A wonderful historic document relating to Young Servant Girls in Germany.

Price: 60 USD

Location: Napa, California

End Time: 2025-01-08T22:38:22.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.63 USD