Elmer Crowell The Turned-head "dust Jacket" Black-bellied Plover

A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952) East Harwich, MA, c. 1900 11 1/2 in. long

Born in East Harwich, MA, Elmer Crowell possessed an early fascination with ornithology and hunting. These passions led to a career as a market gunner in the late 1800s. In 1898 Dr. John C. Phillips Jr. (1876-1938), a sportsman who was also a prominent member of Boston society and a prolific author, asked Crowell to manage his Wenham Lake hunting camp. Upon seeing Crowell’s masterful carvings, Phillips and the camp’s affluent guests persuaded Crowell to make decoys for them. The resulting decoys are some of the most desirable bird carvings ever made.

Widely credited with being the father of American Bird carving, Elmer Crowell’s influence on all future carvers cannot be overstated. One of the most famous carvers in the world, Crowell’s meticulous workmanship and exquisite painting have never been surpassed. According to authors Levinson and Headley, “Elmer Crowell did it all – and did it well! There is no question that he carved some of the finest shorebird decoys known. His decoys possessed naturalness and have superb detail; his painting can only be described as masterful.”

This decoy, along with two rigmates, were prominently featured on the dust jacket cover of William J. Mackey, Jr.’s seminal volume “American Bird Decoys.” Subsequently, these elaborately carved Crowell plover have been referred to as the “Dust Jacket” birds. Less than eighteen examples from these early Crowell shorebird hunting rigs are thought to exist. A feeding plover from one of these rigs holds the world record for any shorebird decoy, selling for $830,000. This turned-head example with its prime condition, bold form, animated posture, and impeccable provenance is the best of the Mackey trinity of true “Dust Jacket” plover.

This decoy shows tremendous carving detail, with raised heart-shaped wings, fully carved primaries that join at the tips, and deeply plunged wing separation. The underside is cold-stamped “C. W. LOUD” and bears the Mackey Collection ink stamp.

Discussing this decoy along with the two others, Mackey writes, “Elmer Crowell at his best. These Black-bellied Plovers [sic] combine his detailed carving of wing and tail feathers with the bold, true paint pattern that made him a master.” In excellent original paint with even gunning wear.

Provenance: William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection Honerable J. William Middendorf II Collection Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection

Literature: William J. Mackey, Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, dust jacket and color plate III, exact decoy illustrated. Richard A. Bourne Co. Inc., "Very Rare and Important American Bird Decoys, from the Collection of the late William J. Mackey, Jr. of Belford, New Jersey," Hyannis, MA, Session IV, August 21, 1973, lot 286, exact decoy illustrated. Quintina Colio, "American Decoys," Ephrata, PA, 1972, p. 48, exact decoy illustrated (image reversed). Laurence Sheehan, "The Sporting Life," New York, NY, 1992, p. 80, exact decoy illustrated. Jackson Parker, “O’Brien Classic Decoys on Display at Museum of American Folk Art,” North American Decoys: Wildfowl Carvers and Collectors News, Spanish Fork, UT, Spring/Summer 1982, p. 34, exact decoy illustrated. Jeff Waingrow, “The American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien, Jr.,” The Clarion: America’s Folk Art Magazine, Fall 1981, p. 30, exact decoy illustrated.

Exhibited: New York, New York, “The Art of the American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.,” Museum of American Folk Art, September 3–November 8, 1981. John M. Levinson and Somers G. Headley, “Shorebirds: The Birds, The Hunters, The Decoys,” Centreville, MD, 1991, p. 59.

Provenance

William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection Honerable J. William Middendorf II Collection Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection