Martin Brechall

European in origin, Brechall came to the Thirteen Colonies sometime before the American Revolution, in which he fought; an 1818 pension application states that he enlisted in April 1777 and reenlisted until 1783.

During the war he saw action at the battles of Short Hills, Brandywine, and Monmouth, among others, and was also present at the surrender of Charles Cornwallis.

Later in life, Brechall became a schoolmaster in Weisenberg Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

He produced baptismal certificates for children in the neighborhood, residents of about a dozen towns in Lehigh and Berks Counties.

Most of his pieces are painted in a palette of red and black, using hearts and rectangles as design elements.