Thomas Chambers Canada Goose

Thomas Chambers (1860-1948) Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada, c. 1915 22 in. long

Thomas Chambers (1860-1948) was born in Toronto, Ontario. He hunted ducks and geese as a boy and sold his excess quarry to the market. He later worked for Canadian sportsmen at the St. Anne’s Club on the Johnson Channel, which flows into Lake St. Clair. In 1900, the St. Clair Flats Shooting Company’s first president, George Warin (1830-1905) (see lot 7), recommended Thomas Chambers for the position of full-time marsh manager of the club.

Incorporated in 1876, the St. Clair Flats Shooting Company was one of the oldest hunting clubs on Lake St. Clair. Chambers lived on the club’s property in an adjacent house with his wife and three children. Chambers would remain its manager until his retirement in 1943. According to author Bernard Crandell, it was during this time as manager that the 6 foot 1 inch Chambers earned the nickname "King Tom." Over the years, the membership of St. Clair Flats Shooting Company gradually changed from all Canadians to predominantly Americans.

In addition to his work for the Club, “King Tom” was also one of the nation’s most accomplished carvers. His decoys were in high demand from the members and even during the Depression a rig of a dozen Chambers decoys would command the unheard of price of $75. The bottom board of this hollow decoy is branded "THOS. CHAMBERS MAKER" and "J.T. McMILLAN." James T. McMillan was a St. Clair Flats Shooting Company member from 1913-1946.

The remarkably good condition of this decoy can, in part, be explained by the sparse usage of goose decoys due to the historically low number of this species in the region. Less than a dozen of these geese in original paint are known today. This Chambers goose displays exemplary form and paint and ranks as one of the maker's best works.

Of this exact decoy, Julie Hall, a folk art historian, wrote in 1976, "Such a beautiful prize in original paint with complete history is a rare find today." Original paint with gunning wear. A tight check along left side, and a ding to top of tail.

Provenance: James T. McMillan Rig Bernard Crandell Collection Julie Hall Collection, acquired from the above, c. 1975 Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection

Literature: Patricia Fleming, "Traditions In Wood," Ontario, Canada, 1987, p.141, exact decoy illustrated. Julie Hall, "Collectible Decoys--- An Endangered Species?" North American Decoys, Spanish Fork, UT, Summer 1976, p. 20, exact decoy illustrated. Bernard W. Crandell, Decoying: St. Clair to the St. Lawrence, Erin, ON, 1988.

Provenance

James T. McMillan Rig Bernard Crandell Collection Julie Hall Collection, acquired from the above, c. 1975 Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection