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"The publication of this book presents the Shakers in a new light . . . Here are scenes depicting the Shakers in a way they wanted to remember, not necessarily always in ways they wanted to be remembered by . . . An introduction by David R. Starbuck provides the most succinct and beautifully portrayed historical summary of the Shakers that I have read . . . A series of Shaker 'family albums' would be a welcome addition to the growing bookshelf on Shaker history." —Historical New Hampshire
An insider’s view of everyday life in a unique nineteenth-century religious community.
This collection of more than 200 images captures the essence of Shaker life in poses both pious and playful, and records how individual identity was not erased by the community but instead thrived within it. Carefully chosen from thousands of archival photos and from a drawerful of snapshots saved by Eldress Bertha Lindsay, one of the last Shakers to live at Canterbury and herself a consummate photographer, these pictures - most of them never intended for publication - give new life to the Shaker lifestyle. These farmers, artisans, seed-producers, and celibate guardians of orphan children lived in what David R. Starbuck calls an unusually humane environment and maintained a faith that was "remarkably resilient and longlasting."
These images show Shakers apple-picking, haying, and cooking, but also record the more creative and recreational aspects of Shaker life: excursions to other Shaker villages; boat rides on nearby lakes; theatricals complete with costumes and scenery. A group of women makes popcorn balls at Christmas time; another stands before 500 cords of wood stacked against a cold New Hampshire winter; Elder Henry and his bees work busily; several women romp in the snow outside the schoolhouse; the "Tenuvus" harmonica band poses after a concert. This wide range of subjects, Starbuck says, provides "convincing proof that the Canterbury Shakers were a hard-working but fun-loving people, filled with enthusiasm for their way of life and engaged in nearly all of the same activities as the world's people."
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DAVID R. STARBUCK teaches archeology and anthropology at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. He has written numerous articles on New England archeology and directed countless digs in the area. SCOTT T. SWANK, President of Canterbury Shaker Village, was formerly Deputy Director of Interpretation at Winterthur.
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