The Shakers made it their mission to “honor right use, to seek tight form, to eliminate the necessary.”
Baskets came in two distinct styles: utility, and “fancy-work.” The basket-maker’s primary concern was function, not form. Utility baskets were hefty, working implements designed for heavy use in fields, orchards, barns, and workrooms.
The Shakers used a few simple forms which could be adapted by varying height, weight, and handles. In the mid-19th century, sales of utility baskets declined as factories produced baskets faster and cheaper than Shaker-made ones.
Changing styles forced the Shakers to adapt new methods although they only made things which could be put to good use. While isolated, Shakers were not unaware of goings-on around them, and throughout their history, new converts brought contemporary tastes and attitudes to the community.
Collections Manager
Sharon Duane Koomler is a Shaker scholar and traditional letterpress printer living in upstate New York. She has academic degrees in American Folklore from Indiana University and Western Kentucky University. Sharon has worked at Shaker Museums from Kentucky to New Hampshire as an educator, curator, consultant, and director. She has written and published on Shaker material culture and spirituality, and lectured widely on Shaker art, life, and belief. Sharon has a particular interest in the under-researched social aspects of Shaker life and ways in which Shakers practiced inclusion and intentionality.