A popular English landscape and portrait painter who excelled in art from an early age, Collins exhibited and sold his work consistently between 1809 and his death. Collins was especially recognized for his picturesque landscapes and rustic scenes of rural life. His painting "The Sale of the Pet Lamb" brought his name to the forefront in 1812, but he earned his admission as an associate of the Royal Academy in 1814 on the merit of two other paintings, "The Blackberry Gatherers" and "The Birdcatchers." He is also the father of novelist Wilkie Collins.