Harvey Stevens Bluebill Drake

Harvey Stevens (1847-1894) and George Stevens (1856-1905) Weedsport, NY, c. 1880

A classic bluebill by these carvers who often supplied decoys to sportsmen visiting nearby Howland Island, the Montezuma Swamp and the Finger Lakes. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Stevens Brothers' decoys gained national acclaim and were shipped from their workshop near Weedsport along the Erie Canal. The bird exhibits Stevens' finest scratch-comb paint along the back. Mostly original paint with some possible early working touch-up to the black areas and sides with light gunning wear, an age line at the neck seat, and a replaced eye.