Selling Shaker: The Commodification of Shaker Design in the Twentieth CenturyThe simple yet striking lines of Shaker design grace much of the furniture we see in high-end department stores, and beautiful examples of it adorn the pages of Architectural Digest and House Beautiful. How did this style evolve from its origins in a humble, small religious community to the international design phenomenon it is today? This illustrated study explores the emergence of the Shaker style and how it was vigorously promoted by scholars and artists into the prominence it now enjoys. The heart of the Shaker style lies in the religious movement founded in the eighteenth century, where Stephen Bowe and Peter Richmond begin their chronicle. From there, the authors chart the evolution of the style into the twentieth century—particularly in the hands of design media, scholars, and art institutions. These Shaker “agents” repositioned Shaker style continuously—from local vernacular to high culture and then popular culture. Drawing on a rich array of sources, including museum catalogs, contemporary design magazines, and scholarly writings, Selling Shaker illustrates in detail how the Shaker style entered the general design consciousness and how the original aesthetic was gradually diluted into a generic style for a mass audience. A wholly original and fascinating study of American design and consumption, Selling Shaker is a unique resource for collectors, scholars, and anyone interested in the cultural history of a design aesthetic. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Simple and Pure The Early Promotion of Shaker Design in the United States of America | 7 |
Forms and Forces The Penetration of Shaker Design into Museum and Popular Cultures | 69 |
Spirit and Function The Infiltration of Shaker Design into Museum and Popular Cultures | 151 |
West and East The Movement of Shaker Design into Museum and Popular Cultures from the West to the East | 219 |
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Selling Shaker: The Commodification of Shaker Design in the Twentieth Century Stephen Bowe,Peter Richmond No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
American Design American Museum Andrews Memorial Collection Andrews partnership Art of Craftsmanship Auction beauty Berkshire buildings Catalogue for Shaker Charles Sheeler Circa collectors colour contemporary Curator Darrow School decorative Deming Andrews Memorial developed display Edward Deming Andrews example Faith Andrews featured Fruitlands Museums functionalism Hampshire Hancock Shaker Village Historical Index of American Industries interior Kolken Magazine Antiques Material Culture modern Mount Lebanon Museum in Britain Museum of Art Nick Coughlin objects oval boxes period room Philadelphia Museum Photograph by Nick pieces Pleasant Hill produced religious Renwick Gallery Sabbathday Lake Shaker aesthetic Shaker Architecture Shaker artefacts Shaker Arts Shaker box Shaker Chair Shaker Collection Shaker communities Shaker Crafts Shaker design Shaker exhibition Shaker furniture Shaker Hands Shaker material Shaker Messenger Shaker Museum Shaker Room Shaker style Shaker World simplicity Sister spirit Timewatch tion Watervliet Winterthur Library Winterthur Museum World of Shaker York State Museum