Print, Relief

Description

"Dinner-Time at Mount Lebanon," a print showing a group of sisters carrying side chairs down a staircase, led at the foreground by three little girls; brothers can be seen at the left and in the background carrying side chairs from a different room. In some families, it was customary to carry chairs from room to room as needed, rather than producing chairs for each member to use in each room; here the Shakers were bringing their chairs from the meeting room to the dining room of the dwelling house after the meeting had concluded. This image represents the first time a visiting artist was allowed to portray the interior of a Shaker dwelling house. The illustration was originally published on May 7, 1870 in The Graphic, as part of the series "Graphic America." It was reproduced for The Graphic Portfolio, "A selection from the admired engravings which have appeared in The Graphic and a description of the act of wood engraving with numerous illustrations," published in 1877.