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Lothrop Turner Holmes

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Lothrop Turner Holmes (1824-1899) is among the finest of New England decoy makers. Holmes was born in Plympton, Massachusetts on March 29 1824, the son of Martin and Mary Turner Holmes. Lothrop married Elizabeth Howland Washburn of Kingston on June 4, 1848. Holmes died on October 3, 1899 and the Lothrop Holmes collection, donated by Ted Avery, is held by the Kingston Public Library, MSS collection, MC-15. Holmes was an iron foundry molder at Providence, R.I. For many years Holmes was superintendent of Evergreen Cemetery. He was “passionately fond of instrumental music, the banjo being his favorite”. No mention was made in his obituary of his talent as a carver of hunting decoys, but today, Holmes’ skills and artistry are much admired by decoy collectors. Many consider Holmes the most sophisticated carver of the nineteenth century; his merganser decoys, for example, are legendary.