Ward Brothers 1936 Mallard Pair

The Ward Brothers Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976) Crisfield, MD, c. 1936 17 in. long

“Stephen W. Ward (1895-1976) and his brother Lemuel Travis Ward (1896-1984) of Crisfield, Maryland were by far the most prominent Chesapeake Bay carvers of the twentieth century and among the greatest and most influential bird carvers of all time. The brothers worked closely together throughout their lives, combining the complementary talents of Steve’s hand carving and Lem’s brushwork to create works of extraordinary grace and realism.” — Robert Shaw, “Bird Decoys of North America”

This is among the very finest pairs of Ward mallard decoys. They begin with Steve’s celebrated and classic 1936 form with turned heads, high backs, and thin rounded tails. Lem’s paint is exceptional on both and the hen is especially noteworthy for its refined feather paint.

The underside of the drake is marked with a stamp under the tail reading “Hand Made, Distributed by, VL&A, Chicago, ILL.” This unrigged male also still retains its paper VL&A price tag reading “10.00 EA.” Von Lengerke & Antoinne was the prominent sporting goods retailer of Chicago which had been acquired by Abercrombie & Fitch by the time the Wards made decoys from them. Ron Gard points out in his book on the brothers “It is indeed a credit to the artistry of the Wards, that the prestigious department store, Von Lengerke and Antoine (VL&A), sold the Ward mallard and pintail decoys to hunters throughout the Mississippi Flyway. This area was home to some of the finest decoy makers in America.” Attesting to this drake decoy's exceptional form and paint, it was preserved in its unrigged state as part of a lamp. The hen is signed and dated 1936 by Lem and Steve “with compliments to Ken Longfellow.”

Original paint with even gunning wear to the hen, including rub to right edge of bill tip. The drake has minimal wear and a hairline crack in bill has been cleanly reset, touch-up to back of neck seam and to one-inch spot on back and right side.

Provenance: Private Collection, acquired from RJG Antiques

Literature: Ronald J. Gard and Brian J. McGrath, "The Ward Brothers' Decoys: A Collector's Guide," Plano, TX, 1989, pp. 83-86, related drakes illustrated and discussed.

Provenance

Private Collection, acquired from RJG Antiques