Decoys
As an important component in North American folk art, decoys have been used for centuries as hunting tools by native American Indians and waterfowl hunters. The hunters used the duck decoys as bait intended to lure in other ducks. From 1896 until 1924, the Mason Decoy factory was the first to mass produce duck decoys. William Mason, the company’s founder, hand carved blocks of cedar and crafted them into exquisite waterfowl replicas. Soon after he carved his first decoys, the architect Joel Barber began carving and collecting the duck decoys. His interest in them was more so fueled by his interest in decoys as an art form. To date, the current record for an antique duck decoy at auction took place in 2007 at a Guyette & Schmidt and Christie’s New York auction. The Red Breasted Merganser Hen by Lothrop Holmes fetched a hefty sum of $856,000.
- A. Elmer Crowell
- Albert Laing
- Charles 'Shang' Wheeler
- Charles Perdew
- Charles Schoenheider, Jr.
- Charles Spiron
- Clinton Keith
- Frank Kellum
- George Huey
- George Warin
- Gus Wilson
- Harry Shourds
- Huck Caines
- John Schweikart
- Jon Tax
- Joseph Lincoln
- Lee Dudley
- Lothrop Turner Holmes
- Nathan Cobb, Jr.
- Obediah Verity
- Thomas Gelston
- Ward Brothers
- William Bowman
- William Southard
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