Shaker Vision: Seeing Beauty in Early America

Exploring the Shakers' relationship with the visual world, Joseph Manca delves into their diaries and travel journals to reveal a surprising appreciation for beauty amidst their austere lifestyle. While known for their simplicity in architecture and crafts, Shakers also engaged with vibrant spiritual art and shared aesthetic values with mainstream Americans. This richly illustrated work offers new insights into how Shakers experienced and expressed their surroundings, challenging conventional perceptions of this distinctive American religious community.