The building of a Mount Lebanon rocking chair at the factory of Ian Ingersoll Cabinetmakers in West Cornwall, Conn.

In the late 1700s, the Shakers came to America to create their own heaven on earth, and the beautiful but simple furniture they designed and built was intended to aid in their spiritual development. While there are many different Shaker designs, the Mount Lebanon rocker is one of the most famous. Both beautiful and comfortable, it was designed in the 1860s as a chair that could be sold to the public and help support the community. Today you can get a modern reproduction made by Ian Ingersoll, who uses all of the traditional techniques.
How to spot the real thing:

• An antique Shaker original rocking chair costs up to $4000.
  
• Educate yourself in Shaker by going to museums and antique stores.
  
• If possible, feel the wood. Pull out the drawers to see the construction.
  
• Shaker-made chairs are 150 years old and look it.
  
• Older wood is dryer and lighter.
  
• Don't believe everything you hear.
  
• George Washington died in 1799. He couldn't have owned a Shaker chair.

Shaker Style: Form, Function, and Furniture by Sharon Duane Koomler

Shaker Museum and Library
Old Chatham, New York
518-794-9100
www.shakermuseumandlibrary.org, www.shakerworkshops.com/sml

Doyle New York
Jeni Sandberg, Specialist, American Furniture and Decorations
212-427-2730
www.doylenewyork.com

Ian Ingersoll Cabinetmakers
West Cornwall, Connecticut
Ian Ingersoll Rocking Chair, based on Robert Wagan design, $800; Ian Ingersoll Maple Side Chair $625
800-237-4926
www.ianingersoll.com

Hancock Shaker Village
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
800-817-1137
www.hancockshakervillage.org

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