George F. Hinkley Greater Yellowlegs

George F. Hinkley (1853-1929) Beverly, MA, c. 1890 A very rare North Shore shorebird decoy with "shoe button" eyes and bold split-tail form. Only a dozen Hinkley birds are known to have survived. A rigmate yellowlegs, in the permanent collection of the Peabody Essex Museum of Salem, Massachusetts, was featured in "The Magazine Antiques" and "Decoy Magazine" in September 1989. Original paint with even gunning wear. Minor flaking on wings where some over-paint was taken down. Tiny tail chip along with tight age lines along one wing and one side of neck.

Provenance: George Hinkley rig Clarence Hinkley rig Private Collection

Literature: Jonathan Phillips, "The Hinkleys of Beverly, MA," Lewes, DE, Decoy Magazine, March/April 2007, p. 29, exact decoy illustrated. Rob Moir and Jackson Parker, "Tollers and Tattlers, Massachusetts Waterfowl Decoys, 1840s - 1940s," Lewes, DE, Decoy Magazine Sept./Oct. 1989, pp. 21-27, rigmate illustrated. Rob Moir and Jackson Parker, "Massachusetts Waterfowl Decoys," New York, NY, The Magazine Antiques, September 1989, p. 524, rigmate illustrated.

Provenance

George Hinkley rig Clarence Hinkley rig Private Collection