Polly Collins (1808-1884) was a Shaker artist who made gift drawings, which were depictions of spiritual messages during the

Era of Manifestations The Era of Manifestations was a period from 1837 to the mid-1850s when Shakers came under a spiritual revival marked by visions and ecstatic experiences among the followers. They expressed their visions in song, dance and drawings. Overview The ...

in the mid-1800s.

Personal life

Polly Collins was born in

Cambridge, New York Cambridge is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Washington County, New York, Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 1,952 at the 2020 cen ...

. Her family moved to Massachusetts in 1820 and joined the

Hancock Shaker Village Hancock Shaker Village is a former Shaker commune in Hancock and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It emerged in the towns of Hancock, Pittsfield, and Richmond in the 1780s, organized in 1790, and was active until 1960. It was the third of nineteen ...

.Gerard C. Wertkin; Lee Kogan; American Folk Art Museum.
Encyclopedia of American Folk Art
'. Taylor & Francis; 2004. . p. 476. Collins remained a member, or believer, of the Shakers throughout the remainder of her lifetime. She took care of young girls at the community during part of her time there. File:1830 Brick Dwelling at Hancock Shaker Village.jpg, The Brick Dwelling for the Church Family at

, where Polly Collins lived

Gift drawings

Between 1841 and 1859, Collins made 16 watercolor "gift drawings" as the result of spiritual revelations during the Shaker's

. During that time: ''An Emblem of the Heavenly Sphere'' in 1854. She created different scenes within blocks in a grid. In the center, a choir of heavenly figures includes Jesus, the apostles,

Mother Ann Lee Ann Lee (29 February 1736 – 8 September 1784), commonly known as Mother Ann Lee, was the founding leader of the Shakers, later changed to United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing following her death. She was born during ...

, and

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

. Surrounding this image were scenes like ''The Celestial Plum'', ''Flower of Eden,'' ''Forgiveness'' and ''Repentance''. In 1859 Collins made a drawing of the ''Tree of Comfort'' with a vision for a Gift from Mother Ann to Eldress Eunice. The period where spiritual visions were captured in song or drawings, called the Era of Manifestations, was also called the "period of Mother's work", referring to

, whose departed spirit was believed to have passed messages to the Skaker "instruments" who believed and received such messages. This work was a variation of the common Shaker motif ''Tree of Life'', such as the depictions made by

Hannah Cohoon Hannah Cohoon (February 1, 1788 – January 7, 1864) was an American painter born in Williamstown, Massachusetts and a member of Hancock Shaker Village. She joined that community in 1817 at the age 29. During a time of revival known as the Era of ...

. It was one of Collin's most notable and recognizable works. File:Polly Collins - Wreath brought by Mother's little dove - made before her death in 1884.jpg, Polly Collins, ''Wreath brought by Mother's little dove'', date unknown File:Polly Collins, 1st My Children Dear, Whom I Do Love, watercolor,, 1854, Hancock, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.jpg, Polly Collins, ''1st My Children Dear, Whom I Do Love,'' watercolor, 1854,

, Berkshire County, Massachusetts File:Polly Collins, a Gift from Mother Ann to. Eldress Eunice, August, 1859. Collection of the Shaker Library, United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake, ME.gif, Polly Collins, ''Tree of comfort'', a Gift from Mother Ann to Eldress Eunice, August, 1859. Collection of the Shaker Library, United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake, Maine Key artists from the Shaker community were Collins,

, and Joseph Wicker. The Era of Manifestations ended when Shaker community members became embarrassed by the "emotional excesses and mystical expressions of this period."David A. Schorsch and Ruth Wolfe
''A Cutwork Tree of Life in the manner of Hannah Cohoon''.
AFANews. February 23, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2014.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Polly 1808 births 1884 deaths People from Cambridge, New York Painters from New York (state) Painters from Massachusetts 19th-century American painters 19th-century American women painters American watercolorists American women watercolorists Shaker members