The Robert & Hazel Belfit Shaker Collection
– Watertown, Connecticut –
In the 1920s, Robert and Hazel Belfit began acquiring Shaker furniture, tools, domestic objects, and ephemera that, by the 1960s, would become one of the most significant collections of Shaker material obtained directly from the Shakers. Over time, the Belfits forged relationships with the Shakers of the Watervliet, New York, Hancock, Massachusetts, Canterbury, New Hampshire, and Sabbathday Lake, Maine, communities. As their friendships grew, so did their collection—each object embodies a connection to the Shakers themselves. The Belfits’ ongoing interactions with the Shakers established them as keen, responsible, and understanding stewards of the Shaker legacy, and Brethren and Sisters conveyed their appreciation when placing objects in their care.
“As time goes on, primary material—material acquired directly from the Shakers and retained by a single family—has become increasingly rare. Rob and Hazel Belfit had a passion for the Shakers and their culture that, today, has transcended four generations… We share her hope that these pieces are understood and appreciated by their next owners as they have been by the family.” – John Keith Russell
The Belfit Shaker Collection began in 1924, when Robert (“Rob”) and Hazel Belfit drove their new Model T Ford to the Mount Lebanon Shaker community. Pulling up to the Second Family chair factory, the couple were greeted by Brother William Perkins (1861-1934), a skilled cabinet maker who had spent the preceding decade managing the Mount Lebanon Woodworking Company. The Belfits had met and married in the neighboring city of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Hazel’s hometown, and where Rob had worked as a chemist for General Electric. Though they had since relocated to Waterbury, Connecticut, their deep connection to the region made them eager to bring home a piece of Shaker—specifically, a Shaker chair. In response to the Belfits’s inquiry about available chairs, Brother William quipped: “You don’t expect to find pairs at the Shakers, do you?” Presumably, Rob and Hazel didn’t anticipate finding a Mancunian-accented wit at the Shakers, nor could they have foreseen the way that this brief interaction with Brother William would have a profound effect on the rest of their lives.
From this first outing to Mount Lebanon, Rob and Hazel established a kinship with the Shakers that was strengthened over many decades by frequent visits and continuous correspondence. Their interest in Shaker furniture—its history and continued production at Mount Lebanon—initiated a particularly close relationship with Brother William as well as his fellow Brethren and Sisters in the Second and North Families, namely Deaconess Lillian Barlow (1876-1942), Eldress Margaret Eggleston (1844-1925), Brother Curtis White (1888-1951), and Sister Sarah Collins (1855-1947).
Due to his background in chemistry, Rob Belfit was a keen observer of the materials and methods used in the production and conservation of Shaker goods. He delighted in assisting the Shakers with sourcing new technology. For example, he pointed Brother William towards a new shellac developed by William Zinsser & Co. and Sister Lillian towards colorfast dyes for her chair tapes manufactured by DuPont. Hazel cultivated a different but equally intimate relationship with the Shaker Sisters. In frequent letters, Hazel would pen updates on happenings at home and, in turn, the Sisters would send word of seasonal activities, blooming gardens, health concerns, and other thoughts on Shakerism in the 20th century. As their relationship grew, so did the influence of Shaker ideas in Hazel’s own pursuits. Through the 50s and 60s, she would frequently lecture about the Shakers to groups in the greater Hartford area. Too, she was skilled at embroidery, illustration, printmaking, poetry, and other crafts and, in 1964, she created an elaborate crewel work bedspread depicting an Elder, Eldress, and the distinctive architecture of Mount Lebanon’s second meetinghouse.
“Whenever we wanted a relief from the turmoil of our ‘worldly’ civilization we visited our relatives and friends in Pittsfield and then on to Mount Lebanon,” wrote Rob Belfit. Even during World War II fuel shortages, Rob and Hazel would “conserve our gasoline for a visit to Eldress Rosetta and Sister Lillian Barlow where serenity was supreme.”
Rob described Eldress A. Rosetta Stephens (1860-1948), as “very modest, quiet, intellectual,” and “an especially close friend.” During the Belfits’ visits, Rob, Hazel, and Rosetta shared sandwiches and sang Shaker songs—some of which Rosetta herself had written. It was through Eldress Rosetta that the Belfits really began to collect historic Shaker objects in earnest. With her support, they acquired many of their most treasured Shaker artifacts—pieces that became tangible reminders of their cherished bond.
Not inclined to frivolity or excess, the Belfits focused on collecting Shaker pieces that enhanced their lifestyle. “We were primarily interested in acquiring antiques for our own use in furnishing our home,” explained Rob. For the duration of their marriage, Rob and Hazel shared a passion for collecting and living with Shaker material but, overwhelmingly, they were captivated by the Shakers themselves. For decades, they would travel throughout New England to see their Shaker friends in addition to attending exhibitions, Shaker museum openings, and annual Shaker Seminar conferences. From their first encounter with Brother William at Mount Lebanon, the Belfits were generous benefactors. They wrote checks to support Shaker communities, donated objects to museum collections, joined as charter members of the Friends of the Shakers at Sabbathday Lake, and showed their support in myriad small ways like supplying a pattern for a tea cozy to sell in the Shaker Store.
The Belfits had three children, Carmen Louise (1919-1990), Theodore Charles (1923-2007), and Robert “Bob” William Jr. (1927-2018), and eight grandchildren. They were married for 61 years, moving from Pittsfield, MA, to Waterbury, CT, before finally settling in Watertown. The Belfit children and grandchildren were raised amidst treasured objects—they dined on a Shaker table, stored their toys in a Shaker cupboard, and were lulled to sleep in a Shaker rocking chair. Within the Belfit family, the passion for the Shakers is omnipresent, and this appreciation of history and material culture persists amidst Rob and Hazel’s descendants to this day.
Cited: Robert W. Belfit’s unpublished memoir, 1971
Photos: Hazel Belfit, Robert William Belfit, and Eldress Rosetta Stephens at Mount Lebanon, NY, c. 1940s (top); Robert William and Hazel Belfit, c. 1972. Collection of Ashley J. Freinberg.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ROBERT & HAZEL BELFIT SHAKER COLLECTION
represented by John Keith Russell at Antiques in Manchester, 2022
MORE ON ROBERT & HAZEL BELFIT:
Robert William Belfit was born on November 16, 1891, in Watertown, Connecticut, to Charles and Nellie Cowell Belfit. Hazel Theodora Printiss was born on January 28, 1896, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Benjamin and Dorothea Wackler Printiss. Both were third-generation New Englanders with lifelong connections to their hometowns. Rob and Hazel met in Pittsfield in 1915, where Rob was working for General Electric. They were married on September 16, 1918, and a few years later, relocated to Watertown where Rob worked as a chemical engineer for Scovill Manufacturing for 41 years. The Belfits had three children and eight grandchildren during their marriage. Rob died on July 14, 1980, at the age of 88. Hazel died on November 12, 1981, at the age of 85. Both are buried in Watertown, Connecticut.