Elmer Crowell Alighting Tern

A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952) East Harwich, MA, c. 1930 19 1/2 in. wingspan

An exceedingly rare and possibly unique, life-size tern with extended wings measuring nineteen-and-one-half inches from wing tip to wing tip.

Crowell, like many people today, had an affinity for these expert hovering fishermen, creating this wooden homage to their beauty. It was his interpretive ability to capture the likeness of birds and waterfowl that defined him as one of America's greatest carvers.

Crowell used this expansive carving as an elaborate canvas to showcase his unmatched painting abilities. The artist used all four surfaces of the broad wings to display his exceptional wet-on-wet feather blending. The forked tail is finished with incised feather carving. The underside of the base bears the maker’s rectangular stamp.

In "A Sportsman's Scrapbook," Dr. John C. Phillips talks about Crowell's creations: "Elmer used to decorate Wenham Camp with all sorts of mythical looking birds, whittled out and suspended from the ceiling so that they revolved solemnly around if you blew a puff of smoke their way." While Crowell’s flying terns, as discussed by his patron Dr. Phillips, are rare, even less common is this model, which is mounted on a base. Indeed, we are honored to introduce this decorative as the first of its kind to enter the modern marketplace. Excellent original paint with minimal wear, one side of tail is reset with touch-up and the other side of the tail is restored.

Literature: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr. and Chelsie W. Olney, "Elmer Crowell: Father of American Bird Carving," Hingham, MA, 2019, p. 38, flying example illustrated, pp. 198-199, terns on bases illustrated. John C. Phillips, "A Sportman's Scrapbook," Boston, MA, 1928, p. 33.