David Y. Ellinger (American / Pennsylvania, 1913-2003) oil on velvet theorem of a large basket of fruit with a bird perched on top. Artwork in 19th century lemon gilt frame measures 18.75" x 22.75". Unsigned. Artwork in very good condition. Frame in very good, age appropriate condition.
David Y. Ellinger was an American self-taught folk artist whose work bridged Pennsylvania German material culture and mid-20th-century Americana. Born and raised near Trappe, Pennsylvania, he spent his early years on his grandparents’ farm, absorbing the rhythms and forms of rural life.
In the 1930s, Ellinger contributed to the Works Progress Administration’s Index of American Design program, creating watercolor and graphite renderings of decorative and folk objects. He developed a distinctive aesthetic rooted in Pennsylvania German motifs—tulips, hearts, birds—and rustic settings such as barns, quilts, family farms, and country auctions.
Ellinger worked in a wide variety of media, including oils, watercolors, casein, colored pencil, cut-paper works, and notably “theorem paintings” on velvet or cotton velvet, reviving a 19th-century folk art format. As both an antiques dealer and an artist, he depicted material culture—quilts, chalkware, spatterware, and other collectibles—creating works that are part nostalgic document and part whimsical reinterpretation of rural traditions.
Over his long career, Ellinger painted more than 6,000 works. Among his most celebrated is Out of the Heart Comes the Issues of Life (1943), reflecting the heartfelt simplicity of his artistic vision. His work is prized by collectors of folk art, Americana, and Pennsylvania German art, and his paintings remain valued for their charm, authenticity, and unique perspective on rural American life.
