Hart and Shepard
Hart and Shepard were manufacturers and sellers of Shaker cloaks and fancy goods, located in East Canterbury, New Hampshire. The company was founded in 1891 by Sisters Emeline Hart (1834-1914) and Lucy Ann Shepard (1836-1926), of the Canterbury Shakers[1]. Hart and Shepard held the trademark for the famous Dorothy Cloak. During the early 20th Century, sisters from Hart and Shepard would travel along the East Coast as far south as Florida, displaying trunk-loads of cloaks and other handmade goods at resorts and hotels, earning thousands of dollars to support their community.[2] Hart and Shepard is an example of the entrepreneurship spirit of Shaker women which helped the Shaker community survive the Industrial Revolution.
The Dorothy Cloak, also known as the Dorothy Cape, was first created by Eldress Dorothy Durgin. It was sold under the Hart and Shepard label and trademarked in 1901[3] in New Hampshire. The cloak became a trend among society ladies, was seen at the opera, and favored by First Lady Frances Cleveland who wore one to her husband's Second Inauguration. The cloaks were known as "universal favorites with discriminating ladies."
Hart and Shepard held annual exhibits in hotels such as the Hotel Brunswick in Boston and the Hotel Stafford in Baltimore. In addition to the famous Dorothy Cloak, the exhibits included a range of goods including other clothing, sewing items, workboxes, children's toys, and "a dainty line of home-made fancy goods."
References[edit]
- ^ Gabor-Hotchkiss, Magda (2001). Guide to Printed Shaker Works in the Library Collection of Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, MA 2001 (PDF). Pittsfield, MA: Hancock Shaker Village, Inc. p. 12.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ nell_porter_brown@harvard.edu (2017-08-03). "Canterbury Shaker Village, in New Hampshire | Harvard Magazine". www.harvardmagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ "The New Hampshire Shakers — ingenuity and worldly ventures". UnionLeader.com. 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2024-05-11.