Today, the Shakers are best known for the things they made like ladder back rocking chairs and oval boxes. But their most innovative creations were the radical communities in which they lived. Beginning in New England in the late 18th century, this millenarian group rejected private property and embraced gender and racial equality, making a way of living together that was rooted in mutual care. This talk considers familiar objects of Shaker design from new perspectives, looking at hidden markings and inscriptions inside of boxes and on the undersides of cabinet drawers, to consider the role that designed objects played in making communal life possible