Page 28 - sept_2022

ANTIQUES PEEK by Jessica Kosinski
ANTIQUES PEEK

A Good Broom and Brush

f you are looking for furniture that is as from the same grain. That grain was later
useful as it is beautiful, Shaker furniture is christened “broom corn.”
Inear the top of the list. The Shakers were Early brooms still had one key problem.
a religious group, but they also formed their They fell apart fairly quickly. It was evident
own society with distinct values. They wanted to Levi that his brooms were superior in terms
to be as self-sufficient within that society as of materials, but the traditional broom
possible, so they developed their own construction was still inferior. That changed
approach to making their own furnishings in 1810 when some clever inventors created
and household items. They were particularly the machine known as the Broom Vise for
known for creating specific types of brushes making brooms and a better method for
and brooms. In fact, Shaker brooms forever securing the bristles to the handle.
changed broom functionality and construc-
tion. Let’s take a peek at why Shaker brooms How the Shakers Forever Changed
and brushes are just as sought after as Brooms Again
the group’s many other tools and pieces of The Shakers saw the wisdom of securing
furniture still today. bristles to brushes better to make their brooms

last longer. However, they created a new way
to do so. They used wire, rather than wooden
A Brief History of Shakers A Selection of Shaker Brooms from pegs used previously.
To understand the origins of the Shakers, Shaker Museum The Shakers also felt the round design of
we must go back to the Quakers. Also known apart from regular society, much like the the broom bristles that had lasted for centuries
as “The Brotherhood of Friends” or Amish. However, they still had to conduct was long overdue for an update. They used a
“Religious Society of Friends,” the Quakers certain business with other settlers. vise to flatten each of their brooms. The new
were formed in the 17th century in As part of separating themselves as much as flat design made the brooms far more efficient
Lancashire, England. They were Christians in possible from non-Shakers, the Shaker people and easier to use. They also carried over many
a specific religious developed their own ways of doing things. of their novel ideas into the construction of
group known for
“trembling before
c.1878 That included building their own furniture high-quality brushes of various sorts.
God.” The congre-
Shaker and creating other utilitarian tools. For
gation physically style of basket making at one point in time. and Brushes
broom example, they were known for their unique Popular Types of Shaker Brooms
shook and trem- However, aside from furniture, they were Traditional flat brooms are still among the
bled during servic- most known for their impact on the evolution most popular Shaker or Shaker-style
es. That led to the of the broom. brooms and brushes to collect. However,
nickname Shaker hand-held whisk brooms are also quite
“Quakers,” which Early Broom Development popular. The creation of flat whisk brooms
is the more popu- There is no known date for the invention changed the way people cleaned their
lar name today. of the broom. Some version of it has existed homes forever. Shorter broom handles
However, it has since ancient times. What allowed them to
never been the is known is that many clean in places that
official name of civilizations relied upon were otherwise hard to
the group. the same basic form of Shaker broom access with very little
The Shakers broom construction until manufacture vise
were formed in the late 1700s. Almost photo: Shaker Museum effort. Today, whisk
brooms are still popu-
England in 1740 all early brooms consisted
when worship practices changed for most of long handles with lar tools in homes.
Antique Shaker whisk
other Quakers. The small Shaker group some sort of bristle-like brooms are still used
maintained the original style of worship. attachments. Those attach- in some homes.
That led them to be known as “Shakers.” ments included twigs,
James and Jane Wardley led the Shaker corn husks, hay, and straw.
congregation in England. A member of their Each of those brooms
congregation named Ann Lee and her family typically had bristles that
brought Shaker practices to the United fanned out in a round
States soon after. They settled in 1776 near formation.
Albany, New York.
These brooms are
How a Farmer and New Technology more often collected
Shaker Separatism Changed American Brooms
The American Shakers tried to strike for display purposes.
In 1797, a farmer named Levi Dickenson
an odd balance between maintaining their was living with his wife in Hadley, Their small sizes
make them perfect
numbers and not violating their beliefs. wall decorations.
Specifically, Shakers did not believe in having Massachusetts. He made her a broom using a The Shakers were
their own children. They sometimes adopted certain type of grain called sorghum vulgere. also known for making
children or tried to convert adults into Mrs. Dickenson loved the broom so much many different types
Shakers. that she told as many people as possible about
Shaker beliefs included living communally it. Soon, everyone wanted brooms made Continued on page 31

26 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles