Semantha Fairbanks (June 16, 1804 – March 20, 1852) was a Shaker eldress and artist.
Semantha Fairbanks | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 16, 1804  |
| Died | March 20, 1852 (aged 47) |
Semantha Fairbanks was born on June 16, 1804. She, along with her widowed mother and five siblings, joined the Mount Lebanon Shaker community in 1813. She became a deaconess in 1840 and was later appointed Second Eldress of the Central Ministry.[1]
During the Era of Manifestations, Fairbanks participated in a number of activities that were thought to manifestations of the spirit world. In 1843, she and Mary Wicks created a series of "sacred sheets", Shaker gift drawings made in pen and ink.[1] Some of those drawings were covered in a kind of sacred writing that has been described as "visual glossolalia."[2] She received spirit visions, including some from identifiable deceased people such as Mother Ann Lee. One of these visions resulted in the expulsion of another Shaker, Olive Gates.[3]
Semantha Fairbanks died on 20 March 1852.[1]
Gallery
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A sacred sheet sent from holy mother wisdom by her angel of many signs -
References
edit- ^ a b c Shaker songs : a musical celebration of peace, harmony, and simplicity. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. 2002. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-57912-257-7.
- ^ "Folk Art (Spring 1995) by American Folk Art Museum - Issuu". issuu.com. 2013-12-05. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ Wergland, Glendyne R. (2011). Sisters in the Faith: Shaker Women and Equality of the Sexes. University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-1-55849-862-4. JSTOR j.ctt5vk1z4.