Lillian Barlow Explained
| Lillian Barlow |
| Birth Date: | May 11, 1876 |
| Birth Place: | Greenville, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Death Date: | February 7, 1942 (aged 65) |
| Death Place: | New Lebanon, New York |
| Occupation: | Woodworker, community leader |
| Organization: | Shaker community |
Lillian Ida Barlow (May 11, 1876February 7, 1942) was an American crafter and community leader. For many years, she ran the woodworking shop at the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village in New York State. She is considered "the last Shaker chair maker".
Early life and education
Barlow was born in 1876, in Greenville, Mississippi.[1] [2] By age 10, she was an orphan and living in New York state.[3]
Career
Barlow joined the Shaker community at Mount Lebanon, New York in 1886,[4] when she was ten years old.[5] In 1909 her relationship with her co-worker Ernest Pick raised concerns, and "she did admit that possibly she had shown more friendship for Elder Pick than she should have done." Pick was dismissed as an elder by Bishop M. Catherine Allen, and left the community for about ten years.[6] [7]
Barlow ran or co-ran the community's woodshop for many years, and made it a success,[8] especially producing chairs for sale.[9] She was also involved in a short-lived venture with Burpee to market Shaker-grown vegetables as canned goods.[10] Barlow was the last Shaker to make chairs at Mount Lebanon, before the Shaker community sold its property there in 1940.
Death and legacy
Barlow died in 1942, at age 63, in New Lebanon, New York.[11] Chairs attributed to Barlow's craftsmanship are still valued by collectors, and several of her projects and work items are in the collection of the Shaker Museum. There are letters written by Lillian Barlow in the Winterthur Library.[12] In 2023 she was one focus of a Women's History Month event in Spencertown, New York.
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Sister Lillian Barlow (1876–1942) . 2024-05-11 . Shaker Museum.
- https://nyassembly.gov/write/upload/member_files/106/pdfs/20230306_0105153.pdf "Women's History in the Hudson Valley: Ten Stories from Columbia and Dutchess Counties"
- News: 1909-03-26 . Sad Romance of the Shakers' Queer Community . 2024-05-11 . The Kansas City Post . 4 . Newspapers.com.
- Book: Paterwic, Stephen J. . Historical Dictionary of the Shakers . 2017-06-15 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1-5381-0231-2 . 35–36 . en.
- News: 1909-03-21 . Charges Jealousy in Shaker Colony; Sister Lillian Barlow Lays Dismissal of Elder Pick to Rivalry . 2024-05-11 . The New York Times . 5.
- News: 1909-03-21 . The Shakeup in Shakerdom; Came Through Pick's Pick of Foreign Recruits . 2024-05-11 . The Sun . 6 . Newspapers.com.
- News: 1942-02-09 . Shocked Shakers, Eldress is Dead; Member of Lebanon Community Exonerated of Romance 33 Years Ago . 2024-05-11 . The North Adams Transcript . 3 . Newspapers.com.
- Lassiter . William Laurence . 1946 . Shakers and Their Furniture . New York History . 27 . 3 . 369–371 . 23148049 . 0146-437X.
- Book: Muller . Charles R. . The Shaker chair . Rieman . Timothy D. . 1984 . Canal Winchester, Ohio : Canal Press . Internet Archive . 978-0-9611116-0-1 . 200, 216.
- Book: Miller, M. Stephen . From Shaker Lands and Shaker Hands: A Survey of the Industries . 2007 . UPNE . 978-1-58465-629-6 . 105 . en.
- News: 1942-02-11 . Funeral of Shaker Member is Held . 2024-05-11 . The Berkshire County Eagle . 22 . Newspapers.com.
- Web site: Collection of letters written by Shakers and notes on the Canaan, N.Y., Shaker community . 2024-05-11 . The Winterthur Library.
