Book Excerpt: Birds of a Feather

BIRDS OF A FEATHER wild fowl decoys at shelburne Museum

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american decoys: an artful deception For decades, decoy collectors, carvers, and scholars have echoed a familiar history of the American decoy: Native Americans developed the concept; colonists picked it up as they settled in the New World; and the tradition that emerged during the nineteenth century evolved to produce the elaborate and realistic decorative bird carvings seen today. Linear and satisfying, this simple tale has prompted writers to describe decoy carving as America’s original art form—its one true folk art—giving decoys a coveted place in the country’s material culture, piquing the interest of collectors, and driving up the monetary value of decoys along the way. The historic events in this simplified timeline are accurate but incomplete. In their eagerness to claim decoys as exclusively and authentically American, decoy historians have often overlooked or brushed aside the art form’s broader, richer, and more complex history, which connects the decoy to prehistoric France, ancient Greece, and medieval Europe.

Whether examined as hunting tools, historical artifacts, or works of art, decoys require a full consideration of their historical context. Often represented as having evolved from the simple tools of Native Americans to today’s works of art, the history of the decoy is far more rich and complex. It does not show a linear progression from one initial appearance to the present. Rather, it suggests the polygenesis of decoy use: the practice, like many elements of material culture, emerged independently in more than one setting, rather than springing from a single source and spreading from there. Fire, the wheel, the hammer, and the decoy were all discovered or invented and then rediscovered and reinvented over and over again, based on the universality of human culture and circumstance, as the need for them emerged in various times, places, and conditions throughout the world.1

CYNTHIA BYRD, PHD

Ogden M. Pleissner (1905–1983), The Broadbill Gunner (detail), 1957, watercolor on paper, 19 ⅜ × 29 ⅛ in., Shelburne Museum, gift of Ann M. Leonard, 2013-14.1.

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american decoys: an artful decep tion

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A. Elmer Crowell (1862–1952) Black Duck Preening Decoy, 1920 Wood, paint, and glass 7 5⁄8 × 6 ½ × 15 3⁄8 in.

Shelburne Museum, 2015-0.3

92

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74

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opposite

below

Charles Edward “Shang” Wheeler (1872–1949) Mallard Hen Decoy and Mallard Drake Decoy, 1922–23 Wood, paint, metal, glass, and leather 5 1⁄8 × 6 × 17 5⁄8 in., 5 × 7 ½ × 17 ¼ in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of J. Watson Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1952-192.3, 1952-192.2 Former collection of Joel D. Barber

Frank E. Coombs (1882–1958) Redhead Drake Decoy, circa 1900 Wood, paint, glass, and metal 7 3⁄8 × 5 ½ × 14 ½ in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, 1961, 1961-199.3

ducks

Mason Decoy Factory (act. 1896–1924) Redhead Hen Decoy, n.d.

Wood, paint, glass, metal, and rope 6 ½ × 6 × 14 ¾ in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, 1959, 1959-141.2

75

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© 2017 Rizzoli International Publications. All Rights Reserved.

opposite

below

Albert Davids Laing (1811–1886) Surf Scoter Sleeper Decoy, circa 1870 Wood, paint, metal, and leather 6 ¼ × 6 × 14 3⁄8 in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of J. Watson Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1952-192.258 Former collection of Joel D. Barber

Attributed to the Paquette Family American Coot Decoy, circa 1900 Wood, paint, and glass 7 ¾ × 5 × 12 ¼ in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, 1986, 1986-93.7

ducks

Samuel T. Barnes (1857–1926) Coot Decoy, circa 1890 Wood, paint, and metal 6 ½ × 5 ½ × 12 ¾ in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of J. Watson Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1952-192.242 Former collection of Joel D. Barber

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below

opposite

Body by Albert Davids Laing (1811–1886); head attributed to Benjamin Holmes (1843–1912); paint attributed to Charles Edward “Shang” Wheeler (1872–1949) Black Duck Decoy, n.d.

Wood, paint, metal, leather, and rope 6 5⁄8 × 6 1⁄8 × 16 in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of J. Watson Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1952-192.47 Former collection of Joel D. Barber

Eugene “Chief” Cuffee (1866–1941) Wood Duck Decoy, circa 1920 Wood, paint, and metal 7 ¾ × 5 ½ × 14 5⁄8 in.

Shelburne Museum, bequest of Electra Havemeyer Webb, 1961-1.195 Charles H. Hart (1862–1960) Wood Duck Drake Bird Carving, 1920–40 Wood, paint, metal, and felt 12 ¼ × 5 × 11 ¾ in.

Shelburne museum, bequest of Ogden M. Pleissner, 1986-26.828 David “Davey” W. Nichol (1890–1977) Wood Duck Drake Decoy, 1960 Wood, paint, and glass 5 ¾ × 5 1⁄8 × 14 3⁄16 in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, 1961, 1961-199.2

104

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144

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Captain Charles Christopher Osgood (1820–1886) Osgood Canada Goose Decoy, Canada Goose Decoy, and Osgood Canada Goose Decoy, circa 1849 Wood, paint, metal, and leather 16 ¾ × 11 ½ × 24 in., 11 ½ × 10 ½ × 24 ¼ in., 10 3⁄8 × 10 ¾ × 33 ¼ in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of Mrs. P. H. B. Frelinghuysen, 1953-301.5, 1953-301.4, 1953-301.3

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geese and brants

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Nathaniel “Rowley” Horner (1881–1942) Canada Goose Decoy, circa 1930 Wood, paint, metal, and leather 9 1⁄8 × 8 × 22 ½ in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, acquired from Edward H. Mulliken, 1958, 1958-321.2 Former collection of Edward H. Mulliken

148

R. Horner School Canada Goose Decoy, n.d.

Wood and paint 11 ¼ × 8 ½ × 24 in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of J. Watson Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1952-192.13 Former collection of Joel D. Barber

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CONF ID ENCE BIRDS

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Nathaniel “Rowley” Horner (1881–1942) Red-Breasted Merganser Drake Decoy, circa 1930 Cedar, paint, metal, and leather 6 × 5 ½ × 16 in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, acquired from Edward H. Mulliken, 1958, 1958-321.67 Former collection of Edward H. Mulliken

162

Henry Grant (1860–1924) Merganser Hen Decoy, circa 1890 Wood, paint, metal, and leather 5 7⁄8 × 4 ¾ × 15 7⁄8 in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, acquired from Richard H. Moeller, 1956, 1956-707.135 Former collection of Richard H. Moeller

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Unidentified maker Red-Throated Loon Confidence Decoys, nineteenth century Wood, paint, and metal 9 ¾ × 6 × 26 ¼ in., 8 ½ × 5 ½ × 23 5⁄8 in.

Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, 1958-153.2, 1958-153.1

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confidence birds

163

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Š 2017 Rizzoli International Publications. All Rights Reserved.

opposite A. Elmer Crowell (1862–1952) Greater Yellowlegs Bird Carving and Greater Yellowlegs Preening Bird Carving, circa 1939 Wood, paint, glass, and metal 11 × 5 ½ × 11 ¾ in., 14 × 6 × 8 in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of Mrs. Stuart Crocker, in memory of her husband, 1966-232.27, 1966-232.28 right Attributed to William Bowman (1824–1906) or Charles Sumner Bunn (1865–1952) Dowitcher Shorebird Decoys, circa 1900 Wood, paint and metal 12 ¼ × 4 × 8 ½ in.; 9 ½ × 4 × 10 in.; 5 ¼ × 2 3⁄8 × 11 ¾ in.

Shelburne Museum, gift of J. Watson Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1952-192.145, 1952-192.227, former collection of Joel D. Barber; Shelburne Museum, gift of J. Watson Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1956-707.186, former collection of Richard H. Moeller

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shorebirds

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