Thomas Gelston Havemeyer Rig Redhead Drake

Thomas Gelston (1850-1924) Quogue, Long Island, NY, c. 1880 15 1/2 in. long

A rare species for the maker, this hollow decoy was gunned over by the legendary Henry Osborne Havemeyer (1847-1907) and bears "H. O. Havemeyer" and "CLB" brands on the underside. Havemeyer was one of the earliest art collectors to bring French Impressionism to the United States, aided by Mary Cassatt. He was a sailor and owned a thirty-foot-long Herreshoff named "Electra" which he raced on Great South Bay. An avid duck hunter, he owned 500 acres in Commack, Long Island, called Merrivale Farms. Original paint with even gunning wear, a crack in neck, and an old gunning repair to small tail chip.

Provenance: H. O. Havemeyer Rig Private Collection, New Hampshire

Literature: Gene and Linda Kangas, "Decoys: A North American Survey," Spanish Fork, UT, 1983, p. 69, pl. 112, related decoys illustrated.

Provenance

H. O. Havemeyer Rig Private Collection, New Hampshire