Architecture, Artifacts, and Arts in the Harmony Society of George Rapp - The Material Culture of a Nineteenth-century American Utopian Community (Hardcover)

Little has been written about communal groups other than the Shakers. This study shows that the Harmonists adapted to changing conditions and created villages that met the social, cultural, educational and religious needs if its members. This work is an examination of the town planning, architecture and artifacts of the Harmony Society, a group of German Pietists who came to Pennsylvania and built three villages in the United States: Harmony, Pennsylvania; New Harmony, Indiana; and Economy, Pennsylvania. An examination of the material culture at these villages gives insights into the changing attitudes of the Society. Because of the process of abandoning and re-creating their built environment, changes in the philosophy of the community are more evident in its material culture than they would be if the Society had remained in the same village throughout its existence. Unlike the Shakers, the Harmonists adapted such worldly styles as Classic Revival architectural elements, purchased worldly and secular paintings, and created sophisticated pieces of furniture.