Stereograph

Description

There are three dining rooms included in Alden's "Photographs of Shaker Village, Mt. Lebanon, Columbia Co., N. Y." -- those of the Church, Center, and North Families. While the back of this card identifies the view as the Church Family Dining Room, it is not. Rather it appears to be the North Family Dining Room, No. 23, on Alden's list of views. The photograph was made and sold by A. J. Alden in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1879. From the Berkshire County Eagle we have the following: "The Shakers are being photographed by Alden. He has made 25 or more negatives of groups, buildings and scenery in Lebanon, and the Shakers are to sell stereoscopic views to the hundreds who visit their settlements." [BCE. 51(August 28, 1879): [2], and "Alden's Shaker views which are for sale at Nugent's newsroom, show groups of brethren and sisters in the quaint costumes and they will be interesting additions to stereoscopic collections. One group has Elder Evans in the center with leading members of the fraternity around him. [BCE. 51(September 11, 1879): [2]. N.B.: There are at least two different versions of the listing that appear on Alden's views. In what appears to be the earlier list, Alden, or his printer, misspells the possessive form of family as "families" and of ministry as "ministries." It is corrected on the later version of the list. Several photographs from the first set of views (numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 17, and 18) have been replaced by different views. In all there should be at least 33 different views produced by Alden.