Cabinet Doors & Fronts · Shaker
Shaker Cupboard (1800–1850)
A Shaker cupboard from the first half of the 19th century, with a plain case, flat recessed-panel doors and simple turned knobs.
Design characteristics
This cupboard shows the Shaker principle that utility and beauty are the same thing. There is no applied ornament: the case is a plain box, the doors use flat recessed panels, and small turned knobs are the only hardware. What makes it beautiful is proportion and careful joinery. The so-called Shaker door, a flat recessed panel in a square frame, is now the most popular cabinet door in America, and this is where it comes from.
Classification
- Style
- Shaker
- Category
- Cabinet Doors & Fronts
- Material
- Pine
- Motifs
- Shaker panel
- Date
- 1800–1850
- Maker or designer
- United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (“Shakers”)
- Recorded medium
- Pine
- Dimensions
- 73 1/4 x 31 3/4 x 18 3/4 in. (186.1 x 80.6 x 47.6 cm)
- Evidence
- Documented historical object
Architectural context
Plain panels, peg rails and built-in storage made with exacting care. Shaker communities, United States · c. 1780–1900.
