The Pure and Simple Design of the Shakers

Blog post by Katherine Petit

The Pure and Simple Design of the Shakers

Upon entering the Shaker exhibit at the New York State Museum, one quickly notices the multitude of hand-crafted furniture throughout the space.  One chair in particular exemplifies the simplicity and purity present in so much of the Shakers’ design.

Crafted from a dark wood, this chair has a reserved appearance with a tall, rigid back and equally rigid legs. The chair back’s parallel posts, or stiles, are perfectly vertical, tapering at their tops to a smooth and oblong, dull-pointed form.  The chair’s two front legs, parallel to the back posts, are simple with smooth and slightly curved tops.  Thin and straight spindles connect all four legs about an inch from the bottom of the chair.  Three more spindles connect the front and side legs about halfway between the floor and seat—a slightly superfluous addition.  The chair’s seat is square and made of light-colored, latticed caning.  Three wooden segments, or rails—each smaller in height from top to bottom—make up the back of the chair.  Each flat segment has a subtly curved top edge with a perfectly straight bottom edge.  In addition, the chair can be easily hung on wall pegs in order to be moved out of the way and off the floor, making chores like sweeping more efficient.

The shakers, who settled in America in the late 1700’s, believed that each part of their day should be carried out as an act of worship.  All hand-crafted products were to be made “perfect” with little to no waste of materials and no unnecessary ornamentation.  In designing and crafting furniture, one’s utmost goal was functionality.  To the Shakers, the beauty of frivolous decoration in any aspect of life was considered vain.  The simplicity and pure use of materials in the design of this chair embodies the fundamental ideals and beliefs of the Shaker faith and lifestyle.

 

To see more Shaker furniture and other artifacts, visit the New York State Museum’s exhibit titled “The Shakers, America’s Quiet Revolutionaries,” on display until March 6, 2016.