[2] His earliest surviving work, dated 1787, already reveals him to be an accomplished calligrapher with his own distinctive personal vocabulary of symbols, including inverted hearts with flowers at their tips, sawtooth patterns, and comma-shaped serifs.
These last two bear motifs reminiscent of those found on a tall-case clock made by a neighbor and relative, Johannes Spitler.
The nature of Strickler's training is unknown, but his work bears certain similarities to that by more prolific fraktur artists from Pennsylvania, such as Daniel Schumacher.
He evinced great confidence in his own work, in 1794 writing: "the paper is my field and the pen is my plow.
[1] Several works by, or attributed to, Strickler are held by the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.