Mission-style furniture features square legs and posts.
The Shaker and Mission furniture made in America during the 19th century shares an uncluttered beauty that was divinely inspired. Whether you are a novice collector of fine quality furnishings or a seasoned connoisseur of antiques, you will appreciate the distinctive differences that set these unique furniture styles apart.
History
Your authentic Shaker or Mission furniture may have similar dating, as both styles were produced in America during the 1900s. However, Shaker furniture was handcrafted in this country as early as 1774, when the "Shaking Quakers" left Europe to seek religious freedom in the United States.
Both styles originated from artists who rejected ornate decadence for simpler, purist lines. Mission furniture was inspired by the plain furnishings of Franciscan missions in California. Shakers sought to please God with functional furniture that reflected order and modesty.
Style
Mission furniture has clean, straight lines. Early Mission chairs produced by New York furniture maker Joseph McHugh have simple, straight backs with solidly framed, rush seats. Later, Gustav Stickley and others created the furniture look that is commonly recognized as Mission style. These popular pieces featured exposed mortise-and-tendon joints and rows of narrow, squared posts.
Shaker furniture is plain, yet graceful. Shaker furniture is also practical -- function and comfort mandate its design. For example, side chairs used in Shaker union meetings were equipped with ball-and-socket joints enabling sitters to lean backward and forward without tipping over. When they weren't using them, Shakers hung their side chairs up on pegged rails.
Materials
Most often, Shaker furniture makers constructed their designs from maple trees taken from their sect's forests. Don't be dismayed if your antique is made of cherry, birch or walnut -- they used those woods too, although less frequently.
Authentic Mission furniture was crafted of unpainted, varnished oak with dyed leather or canvas upholstery.
Craftsmanship
Shaker furniture was handcrafted by artisans whose religious beliefs inspired perfection. Furniture historian Ken Byers notes that -- at its peak -- there were only 6,000 Shakers in the United States. Therefore, your family's Shaker rocker or side chair was a one-of-kind, limited edition.
Mission furniture was mass-produced by 1910. The quality of its craftsmanship varied widely according to when and where it was produced.
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