Mudroom & Entry Storage · Shaker
Shaker Towel or Drying Rack (c. 1830)
A freestanding Shaker drying rack from about 1830, made of three horizontal bars between slender uprights on arched feet.
Design characteristics
This simple rack held towels or laundry to dry. Its parts are minimal, with thin rails, slender uprights and shaped feet, but the proportions are exact. It is a good reminder that small, well-made pieces can bring Shaker character into a laundry room, bathroom or mudroom. A wall-mounted version of the same idea makes an excellent towel bar or drying rail.
Classification
- Style
- Shaker
- Category
- Mudroom & Entry Storage
- Material
- Pine
- Motifs
- Drying rack
- Date
- ca. 1830
- Maker or designer
- United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (“Shakers”)
- Recorded medium
- White pine
- Dimensions
- 37 × 27 × 11 in. (94 × 68.6 × 27.9 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.
