Periodical

Description

Vol. XXXV No. 902 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, published January 11, 1873. The cover illustration is titled "Hon. William F. Havemeyer, Mayor of New York City." brief essay, "A Peep at Shakerdom," appears on pages 286-287. Page 292 features a half-page illustration titled "New York - The Shakers at Lebanon Enjoying a Sleigh-Ride - From a Sketch by Joseph Becker." The engraving shows a group of Shakers, four sisters and two brothers, riding in a sledge pulled by two horses through deep snow. There are two trees at the right foreground and a group of trees in the background; falling snow is blown by the wind. The image is quite similar to the one made by Houghton (see 2020.16.51 - 53), but here the Shakers are shown in a posture less huddled and braced against the wind, and an area of sunlight brightens the image. It was the only outdoor scene depicted by Becker. Page 293 has a full-page illustration titled "New York - The Shakers at Lebanon - The Singing Meeting - From a Sketch by Joseph Baker." The engraving shows a group of Shakers, four brothers at left and six sisters at right, seated in a room on either side of the open door. At the rear of the room is a folding screen and on the wall at right are a mirror and two hanging signs, one of which is "Rules for Doing Good." Several of the Shakers are keeping time with one hand and all are singing. "The Singing Meeting" is the only known representation of a Shaker family union meeting. A journal kept by the Ministry noted on March 6, 1870 that, "Immediately after dinner some 5 Sisters and three Brethren go over to the Office to sing to the Editor & Co. [Becker and the editor of Leslie's]." Becker's original sketch for the scene is extant and shows that several changes were made in the final image that appeared in print, most notably that another sister sitting at the rear of the room behind the brothers was removed, and the facial expressions of the singing sisters were altered to be less natural and more unattractive.

Notes

Becker visited the North and Church Families at Mount Lebanon in March of 1870. It was recorded in the Church Family record: "[March] 5 Sat.: One of the editors and one of the Artists of 'Leslie's Pictorial' of New York come here to make observations, take notes, make drawings, &c, &c, to publish concerning the Shakers." The engravings were not published until 1873, in a series of four installments over the course of ten months. The reason for the delay is not known, but it may have been in order to wait until more time had passed since the publication of Houghton's views of the Shakers in The Graphic in 1870.