Browse Items (21 total)

The items in this collection bear many of the symbols and expressions associated with Father Jahn and the Turnvereine in Germany. One predominant theme is the four F’s (“Frisch, Fromm, Froh, and Frei”), which appear on the steins as either words or…

This pokal, or large standing cup, features gymnasts in various scenes. It bears the name of Jean-Baptiste Stahl, a stein artist noted for his use of cameos on steins and pokals. This pokal was manufactured by Villeroy & Boch, a company that made…

This stein and its inscriptions reinforce the connections among physical fitness, strength, and—of course—drinking. On this particular stein, the inscriptions extol the virtues of physical fitness, an idea underscored by the relief images of…

This stein depicts Frederich Ludwig Jahn (also known as Father Jahn), the founder of the Turnvereine movement in early nineteenth-century Germany. This particular stein is known as a character stein, because its body, lid, handle, and mountings…

This character stein of Nurnberg (Nuremberg) Tower commemorates the July 1903 Turnfest in Nurnberg. Note the prominent image of Father Jahn. This particular stein is known as a character stein, because its body, lid, handle, and mountings combine…

This stein shows a Turner (gymnast) holding a flag bearing the 4F symbol. Note the barbells and other gymnastic equipment along the bottom, and the inlay lid with the relief image of Father Jahn. It also bears the image of a sword and a torch,…

A variation on the 4F shield was a combination of two F's, an S and T, which represents "Frish, Frei, Stark, und Treu" ("fresh, free, strong, and true"). This variation indicates the Turners’ criticism of religion in the 1850s; they replaced “fromm”…

This stein is another example of a Mettlach stein, manufactured by Villeroy & Bosch in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This stein, manufactured by Villeroy & Bosch, is one example of a Mettlach that bears many symbols associated with the Turner movement in Germany. The inscription on the lid reads "Kein grossenes Gut, als frohen Muth, which roughly translates as…

The collection was donated to Springfield College Archives and Special Collections in March 2015 by Art and Madeline Slicer. Art Slicer was raised in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated from Springfield College in 1959. His wife Madeline Slicer was…