Making His Mark

"Making His Mark: The Work of Shaker Craftsman Orren Haskins" includes about 30 objects, ranging from a hat mold to looms and sewing desks. Eleven of the objects were made by Haskins: a lap desk, two tape looms, two cupboards, three desks, one workbench, one hat mold and a loom batten. The other items are either attributed to him, were influenced by him or, in the case of hand tools, used by him.

This is the first museum exhibition to concentrate on an individual Shaker's life and contribution as it relates to events in the world around him. Signed Shaker work is rare, since Millennial Laws forbade such individuality.

In 1937, Edward Deming Andrews and his wife, Faith, listed about 60 Shaker cabinetmakers in their book Shaker Furniture. Subsequent books have expanded on the lives of Shakers and their craftsmanship, proving that more Shakers signed their work than previously thought.

The museum focused on Haskins because he lived almost all of his life in a Shaker community (1815-1892); because he signed more pieces than other Shaker cabinetmakers, either with his name in script or with a branded "OH,"; and because his work falls into the classic period of Shaker furniture production in the 1830s and 1840s. The traditional view is that Mount Lebanon, the lead community, produced the best furniture, setting an example for Shaker communities elsewhere.

Where did the Mount Lebanon Shaker cabinetmakers get their design ideas? Curator Erin Budis reminds viewers that the Shakers were part of what they called the World. They adapted others' work. They brought skills with them when they joined the community. Those skills extended beyond furniture making to wood chopping, fence mending and broom making.

The exhibit shows Haskins as an excellent cabinetmaker and an important member of the Mount Lebanon Shaker community. Graphics provide a picture of events outside the community. Robert Fulton created his steamboat, for instance, and the first sewing machine was invented.

The graphics in this display are outstanding overall, both in their placement and visual appeal. Mirrors are used to show signatures, and a hands-on exhibit allows viewers to make a dovetailed joint. Round signs, curved signs, elevated risers, and more, all in one large room, invite inspection.

Some objects were borrowed from several private collectors and Hancock Shaker Village. Most of the display was drawn from the Shaker Museum and Library's 19,000 objects collection, stored in 24 galleries on 50 acres. Director Mary Ellen Hern said that this was the first of a series of comparative exhibits the museum hopes to mount. One interesting comparison in this show brings together Mount Lebanon sewing desks by known and unknown makers.

Although there was never a Shaker community at this site, John S. Williams, Sr, founder of the Shaker Museum, knew the Shakers at Canterbury, N.H., Sabbathday Lake, Me., and Hancock, Mass. He created his museum foundation in 1950 on his property near the Berkshires.

Accompanying the exhibit is a 32-page catalogue by Budis, available through the museum at 88 Shaker Museum Road, Old Chatham, NY 12136.

The Shaker Museum and Library is open daily except Tuesdays, from 10 am to 5 pm, through November 2. Telephone 518/794-9100.