The Allen sisters of Deerfield, Massachusetts, were photographers during the national Arts and Crafts Movement (1875-1920). Not only were they unique in being female photographers, but their work stood out as well for being mostly artistic, rather than documentary. They were heavily influenced by the Colonial Revival Movement that began in the 1880s, when many  people in an increasingly industrialized environment looked back fondly on earlier, and to their minds, simpler times.