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Shakers and Shakerism

The Research Libraries of The New York Public Library collect extensively on Shakers and Shakerism, a religious movement formally known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming. This Christian body has received considerable scholarly and popular attention. Although initially related to elements of Quakerism, the Shakers developed an idiosyncratic religious expression which included communal living, productive labor, celibacy, and a ritual noted for its dancing and shaking. While the eclectic nature of Shaker theology has been the focus of scholarly attention, the distinctive craftsmanship and folk art of Shaker life--the results of an avowed commitment to a life of perfection--have attracted popular interest.

A significant aspect of Shakerism is its founding by a woman, Mother Ann Lee, who was regarded by her followers as the second incarnation of Christ. Although the movement began in England under Ann Lee in 1758, the small body of believers removed itself to America under her leadership in 1774. Shakerism's unique role in American social and cultural history has manifested itself in a significant literature, by members and outsiders alike, much of which has been collected by the Research Libraries.

If you need further assistance, visit our reference desk, or e-mail us at grdref@nypl.org

Using the Catalogs

General instructions for locating materials are given in How Do I Find a Book?. The following information is specific to the topic at hand.

The Dictionary Catalog uses the following subject headings:

Shakers
Shakers--Doctrine
Shakers--Drama
Shakers--Dress
Shakers--Fiction
Shakers--Govt. and Discipline
Shakers--History
Shakers--Jurisprudence
Shakers--Music
Shakers--Periodicals
Shakers--Poetry
Shakers--Rites

The subject headings for Shakers begin in volume 658, page 540, of the Dictionary Catalog and conclude in volume 659, page 4.

CATNYP, the computer catalog which lists items acquired by the Library since 1972, employs the following subject headings:

Architecture, Shaker
Art, Shaker
Chairs, Shaker
Cookery, Shaker
Decorative arts, Shaker
Drawing, Shaker
Shakers
Shakers--Hymns
Textile fabrics, Shaker
Women, Shaker

NB: In recent years the Research Libraries have microfilmed some of the more fragile items which appear in the Dictionary Catalog. Since some of the materials on Shakerism have been microfilmed, the call number in the Dictionary Catalog may have been changed to reflect the film format. Check the item in CATNYP or consult a librarian.

Basic Reference Volumes

An excellent introductory essay (with bibliography) is "Shakers," by Lawrence Foster, in the Encyclopedia of Religion (New York: Macmillan, 1987), volume 13, pages 200-201. *RR-ZAB 87-828.

A comprehensive bibliography of published sources by and about Shakers (listing the major repositories which hold each item) is Mary L. Richmond's Shaker Literature: A Bibliography (Hanover, N.H: University Press of New England, 1977), 2 vols. JXF 77-12.

Another important bibliography is Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. The Edward Deming Andrews Memorial Shaker Collection (New York: Garland, 1987). This catalog of a collection devoted to Shakerism includes printed materials by and about Shakers as well as manuscript materials and artifacts. There is an index arranged by author and title.

General Works

Andrews, Edward D. The People Called Shakers. New York: Oxford, 1953. ZXWC. In this history of Shakerism the author discusses the foundation of the church, its development in America, its doctrinal principles and polity, and its relation with the world. Bibliography, statistical appendices, and illustrations.

Eastman, Harland H. Alfred, Maine, the Shakers and the Village. Springvale, Maine: Wilson, 1986. IQB (Alfred) 87-29. This is a pictorial work on a Shaker community in Maine. This work and that by Thomas (listed below) are concerned with individual Shaker communities: these two sources, representative of similar studies held by the Library, portray through discrete examples the way of life common to the Shakers.

Morse, Flo. The Shakers and the World's People. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1980. JXE 81-30. A collection of writings, largely by outsiders, on Shakerism and Shaker life. Chronological bibliography and illustrations.

Morse, Flo. The Story of the Shakers. Woodstock, Vermont: Countrymen Press, 1986. JFD 87-803. A popular introduction to the Shakers with some emphasis on their contemporary life. A brief bibliography and illustrations.

The Shaker Image. Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1974. JXF 75-16. A superb collection of photographs portraying life in several different Shaker communities.

Sprigg, June. Shaker--Life, Work, and Art. New York: Stewart, Tabori, and Chang, 1987. 3-MNE 87-6088. A profusely illustrated work (largely in color) which, although it explores all facets of Shaker life, concentrates on Shaker material culture.

Thomas, Samuel W. The Simple Spirit; A Pictorial Study of the Shaker Community at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. Harrodsburg, Kentucky: Pleasant Hill Press, 1973. ITZ (Pleasant Hill) 75-433. The photographs and illustrations in this pictorial work are accompanied by excerpts from diaries, journals, and letters relating to the life of this settlement.

Historical Studies

Brewer, Priscilla J. Shaker Communities, Shaker Lives. Hanover, N.H: University Press of New England, 1986. JXE 86-78. This is an historical analysis of the Shakers with a particular emphasis, according to the author, on "the Society within its own boundaries, as it was experienced by its members." This study is a valuable work for those wishing to understand the inner social and religious dimensions of Shakerism. Bibliography, descriptive notes, and demographic tables.

Campion, Nardi R. Ann the Word: The Life of Mother Ann Lee, Founder of the Shakers. Boston: Little, Brown, 1976. JFD 78-389. A popular biography of Ann Lee.

Melcher, Marguerite. The Shaker Adventure. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1941. ZXWC. An introduction to the history and thought of the Shakers. Bibliography.

Robinson, Charles E. A Concise History of the United Society of Believers Called Shakers. Westport, Conn.: Hyperion Press, 1975 reprint of 1893 edition. JXD 76-39. A late nineteenth-century history of the movement by a sympathetic observer. Illustrations.

Shakers. Testimonies Concerning the Character and Ministry of Mother Ann Lee and the First Witnesses of the Gospel of Christ's Second Appearing. Albany: Packard, 1827. ZXWC. A valuable account of Ann Lee and the early Shakers. A second edition published in 1888 with a slightly variant title (Testimonies of the Life, Character, Revelations and Doctrines of Mother Ann Lee . . .) is available in microfilm under these call numbers: *ZAN-T3340, reel 484, no. 3642, and *ZAN-T3340, reel 463, no. 3438.

Stein, Stephen J. The Shaker Experience in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992. JFE 92-8717. A comprehensive examination of Shaker history, thought, and practice.

White, Anna. Shakerism: Its Meaning and Message. Columbus, Ohio: Heer, 1904. *Z-4487, no. 4. This is an historical account of the Shakers with a description of their beliefs by a member of the community.

Spirituality

Andrews, Edward D. Visions of the Heavenly Sphere: A Study in Shaker Religious Art. Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1969. MAIH.

Cook, Harold E. Shaker Music: A Manifestation of American Folk Culture. Lewisburg, Penn.: Bucknell University Press, 1972. JNE 73-26 (in Music Division, Library of the Performing Arts)

Patterson, Daniel W. Gift Drawing and Gift Song: A Study of Two Forms of Shaker Inspiration. Sabbathday Lake, Maine: United Society of Shakers, 1983. 3-MNE 85-2498.

Patterson, Daniel W. The Shaker Spiritual. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1979. JNF 79-131. (in Music Division, Library of the Performing Arts)

Proctor-Smith, Marjorie. Women in Shaker Community and Worship: A Feminist Analysis of the Uses of Religious Symbolism. Lewiston, N.Y.: Mellen, 1985. JFE 86-698.

Sasson, Diane. The Shaker Spiritual Narrative. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1983. JXE 84-18.

Material Culture

Andrews, Edward D. Shaker Furniture, the Craftsmanship of an American Communal Sect. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1937. MOF.

Andrews, Edward D. Work and Worship: The Economic Order of the Shakers. Greenwich, Conn.: New York Graphic Society, 1974. JLF 75-1362.

Beale, Galen. The Earth Shall Blossom: Shaker Herbs and Gardening. Woodstock, Vt.: Countryman Press, 1991. JFE 92-2255.

Gordon, Beverly. Shaker Textile Arts. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1980. 3-MON 81-1309.

Shea, John G. The American Shakers and Their Furniture. New York: Van Nostrand, 1971. MOF.

Comparative Studies of Shakerism with Other Religious Groups

Foster, Lawrence. Religion and Sexuality: The Shakers, the Mormons, and the Oneida Community. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1984. JFE 87-4233.

Foster, Lawrence. Women, Family, and Utopia: Communal Experiments of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, and the Mormons. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1991. JFE 92-2930.

Kern, Louis J. An Ordered Love: Sex Roles and Sexuality in Victorian Utopias: The Shakers, the Mormons, and the Oneida Community. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1981. JFE 81-1197.

Whitworth, John M. God's Blueprints: A Sociological Study of Three Utopian Sects. London: Routledge and K. Paul, 1975. JLE 76-2028.

Researching Shakerism in Scholarly Periodicals

Much of the scholarly literature on Shakerism is to be found only in periodicals. To gain access to this literature, it is necessary to consult the appropriate periodical indexes:

Index to Religious Periodical Literature. Chicago: American Theological Library Association, 1949-1976). *RS-ZA 78-1431.

Religion Index One: Periodicals. Chicago: American Theological Library Association, 1977- . *RS-ZA 78-1432.

A related aid is Religion Index Two: Multi-Author Works. (Chicago: American Theological Library Association, 1970- . *RS-ZA 82-744.

Researchers in Shakerism are also advised to consult various other printed and online periodical indexes available in the General Research Division; especially appropriate are America: History and Life; Humanities Index; Social Sciences Index; Art Index and Religion Indexes.

Those pursuing advanced work in this field may wish to consult the Library's manuscript holdings on Shakers and Shakerism in the Manuscripts and Archives Division; permission to use these materials is granted only by the Special Collections Office, Room 316.