US #5896c
2024 Spinning Wheel, Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, Massachusetts – Shaker Designs
• One of 12 stamps issued for the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the first Shakers in the United States
• Honors the Shaker communities and their unique design principles which later impacted designs of outside communities
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Shaker... more
US #5896c
2024 Spinning Wheel, Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, Massachusetts – Shaker Designs
• One of 12 stamps issued for the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the first Shakers in the United States
• Honors the Shaker communities and their unique design principles which later impacted designs of outside communities
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Shaker Designs
Value: 68¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: June 20, 2024
First Day City: Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Quantity Issued: 18,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 12
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tagged
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the first Shakers in the United States.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph by Michael Freeman of a spinning wheel at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at the site of the Hancock Shaker Village open-air museum.
About the Shaker Designs set: Includes 12 stamp designs picturing photographs of Shaker designs by Michael Freeman. The set was issued in honor of the Shaker communities and their unique design principles which later impacted designs of outside communities in the United States.
History the stamp represents: Spinning wheels were one of the earliest products created by Shaker workshops. They were a critical piece of equipment because they increased the speed with which wool and other natural fibers (like cotton or flax) was turned into yarn. This yarn could then be woven into cloth that was used to make any number of items.
The Shakers began making spinning wheels well before the American Civil War. Most were used to spin wool, but they also built smaller wheels designed especially to spin flax for making linen. The various Shaker communities are estimated to have made more than 10,000 spinning wheels from the 1790s to mid-1800s. Many were made by master woodworkers like Levi Chauncey (1765-1847) and Henry DeWitt (1805-1855) of Mount Lebanon, New York.
There are many Shaker spinning wheels that still exist today, though most are antiques and can no longer be used for their intended purpose. The small differences between these wheels allow experts to identify which community they were made in. These variations include level or ornamentation, arrangement of parts, or even certain initials carved into them. The next time you visit an antique store or consignment shop, take a look around. If you’re lucky, you might stumble on an old Shaker spinning wheel.
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