Cora Helena Sarle

Cora Helena Sarle (1867–1956) was an American Shaker artist. She was known by her second name as Helena Sarle.

Sarle was a native of North Scituate, Massachusetts. She became a Shaker at fifteen, in 1882, joining the community at Canterbury, New Hampshire, then led by Elder Henry Clay Blinn and Eldress Dorothy A. Durgin; she formally signed the Shaker Covenant in 1888. She suffered from poor health; consequently, to provide her with some occupation, Blinn asked her to illustrate native plants for the creation of a textbook to be used in the village school, a task which necessitated her spending much time outdoors in the area surrounding the community. Ultimately, she produced over 180 drawings. She had no artistic training, but her drawings are nevertheless well rendered. Under Blinn's direction she produced two botanical journals in 1886 and 1887, in which she depicted the flora of the neighborhood in watercolor. By the later part of her career, around 1920, the traditional Shaker proscription on decorative ornamentation had begun to relax; consequently, she began to decorate more utilitarian objects for use within the community, including ceiling light globes, an umbrella stand, and a variety of boxes. For much of her life she kept her studio in the Sisters' Shop in the village.