Elmer Crowell Black Bellied Plover

A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952) East Harwich, MA, c. 1910 11 in. long

This early gunning plover is from the Parker Williams “Buck” Whittemore (1872-1959) rig. Whittemore was a Harvard graduate, class of 1895, where he captained the baseball team. A manufacturer of railroad cars, Whittemore lived in West Gloucester and Boston’s Back Bay. He also had an estate in Wareham, Massachusetts, and hunted on Cape Cod. The underside of the plover bears two of his “P.W.W.” brands.

Known for their bold forms and exceptional paint patterns, Crowell took tremendous care in carving these early shorebird rigs for his affluent patrons. The brief period during which he carved these life-like working decoys was just prior to the passing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. In excellent original paint with minimal gunning wear.

Provenance: Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection

Literature: Jackson Parker, “Decoy Record Price Set at SPB Auction of Gregory Folk Art,” North American Decoys, Spanish Fork, UT, Summer 1979, p. 7, rigmate illustrated.

Provenance

Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection