John Keith Russell

Oval pantry boxes exemplify Shaker craft. Although not made and used exclusively by the Shakers, pantry boxes, with their signature “finger” or “swallowtail” lap joinery, remain a symbol of Shaker quality and ingenuity. Around the turn of the nineteenth century, the Shakers of New Lebanon, New York, crafted the first oval boxes for community use and, later, they developed a line of oval boxes, available in a range of sizes, for sale to “the World.” ¶ Maple and pine with copper rivets and brads, in original yellow painted surface. Labeled “Abigail Crossman,” this box was used by Eldress Abigail Crossman (1807-1889) to store personal effects. Eldress Abigail was a dyer, girls’ caretaker, weaver, and palm leaf hat maker of the New Lebanon Shaker community. Her biological and spiritual younger Brother, Elder Daniel Crossman (1810-1885), was a master oval box maker and, presumably, the creator of this piece.