Obed Macy

The Religious Society of Friends, the dominant island religion during the eighteenth century, was based on the tenet that the. spirit of God exists in everyone and that individuals could worship God directly, without an intermediary. Those beliefs engendered an independent spirit and a simple aesthetic that continued to shape island culture, even as the society's influence began to wane. Quaker leaders urged Friends to "keep out of the vain fashions of the world [and] keep all in modesty and plainness."

The silk dress, desk, and silver pieces pictured here show good quality, but with simple lines and restrained decoration. As Nantucketers began to travel farther and farther around the world, achieving success from the whale fishery, many used their wealth to pursue a more comfortable lifestyle. The portraits of Obed (1762-1844) and Abigail (1764-1842) Macy reproduced here, suggest the conflict that financial success posed for island Quakers. Although the Macys are shown wearing traditional Quaker-style costume, Religious Society of Friends teachings proscribed having one's portrait painted at all. As the whaling industry brought wealth to Nantucket, islanders began to adopt their own sense of style, incorporating new colors and motifs into their traditional "plain and simple" Quaker lifestyle.

http://www.nha.org/history/hn/HN-winter2000-timeline.htm