Shaker Style Furniture
Sometimes, the name of a furniture style can tell you everything you need to know about it. Shaker style furniture is one such name.
Shaker Style Furniture
The Shakers were a small millennial religious sect that began in England in 1772, and moved to America just prior to the Revolutionary War. They were related to other better known groups such as the Quakers and Amish mainly for their beliefs in isolation from society and opposition to war. They also were greatly concerned with the maintaining of a simple lifestyle. The guiding principles of the sect were equality, modesty, and faith, and they were concerned with a search for order and harmony in life.
This set of religious beliefs is reflected in the furniture that they produced. The style might be summed up by the saying, “beauty is in utility.” In the period following the Revolution until the Civil War, the sect enjoyed their largest numbers, and a large quantity of handmade furniture was produced by Shaker craftsman in home shops. The utility and practical nature of the style made a market for it outside of the sect itself, and pieces found their way into general circulation. The advent of the Industrial period following the Civil War, and the decline in numbers of the sect itself due to an increasingly secular spirit in America led to a decline in the number of Shakers. This in turn led to an end of the production of Shaker style furniture.
The main wood of choice in Shaker style furniture was maple, although some cherry, birch, and walnut was also used. One of the most classic examples of the style is the Shaker side chair. The chair is very simple in design, but at the same time has such fine attention to detail and utility of design that they are still very popular. The side chair was crafted with a ball and socket joint in the front legs that allowed the chair to be leaned backward while keeping the rear legs solidly planted on the floor. This allowed a safe rocking motion.
One legacy of the style that endures today is the Shaker style rocking chair. It is the prototype of the modern rocking chair of today, and was designed for use by elderly people. It was thought that the rocking motion was healthy for them. The idea of utility can be seen in the Sewing Rocker that was designed specifically for women and allowed them to sew or knit easily while rocking.
Cabinets and Cupboards were very popular pieces. They were not embellished at all with any extra decoration, but were masterpieces of utility and consistency. In the present time, Shaker furniture pieces that are original and in good condition are highly sought antiques, and although some attempts to recreate the style for commercial sale have been made, the careful inspired religious care that the Shakers put into the making of each hand crafted piece can not easily be duplicated in a factory.