Nathan Cobb, Jr. The Mackey-carton Cobb Goose

Nathan F. Cobb Jr. (1825-1905) Cobb Island, VA, c. 1880 26 1/2 in. long

“In 1837, Nathan Cobb Sr. decided to migrate with his family from Cape Cod to the south… a storm lashed the Atlantic coast and the Cobbs, in their battered schooner, were forced to seek shelter near Oyster, Virginia... the industrious Cobbs embraced nature's bounty and the possibilities all around them, forging an unrivaled sporting paradise…their vision eventually culminated in a hotel, a ballroom, a bowling alley and even a train station! …the island in its glory days, complete with beach bathing, eating oysters, fishing for drum, and dance halls filled with laughter and music. We envision the great flocks of plover, curlew, red-knots, brant, ducks and geese setting into Cobb decoys.”-- Stephen B. O'Brien Jr., "Pilars of Sand," Foreword to "Wings of Wonder: The Remarkable Story of the Cobb Family and the Priceless Decoys They Created on Their Island Paradise"

William J. Mackey Jr. in "American Bird Decoys" writes, “The first Cobb decoys to come to the attention of serious collectors caused some confusion, since all decoys have regional characteristics and the Cobb decoys showed a form of construction that was identified with New England makers. This problem quickly resolves itself when we recall that the Cobbs were Yankees in a new home and simply reverted to the style of decoys made in Massachusetts… Perhaps the Cobbs had previous skills in boatbuilding; at any rate, they were determined to produce the best decoys possible, and their work excellently served the needs of both the nineteenth-century hunter and the modern collector.”

This Mackey-Carton Cobb goose decoy is being debuted to the modern collecting community after spending three-quarters of a century in a New Jersey estate. It carries impeccable provenance; William J. Mackey Jr. discovered this Southern gem and noted on its underside that he acquired the bird directly from Oscar Crumb (1904-1975) of Oyster, Virginia. Both Mackey and Dr. S. Lloyd Newberry discuss the importance of the Crumb family, with Newberry listing Oscar and his forebears as "major players in the waterfowl history of Northampton County.” Oscar’s father, Joseph Crumb (1881-1935), is known to have possessed a rig linking a number of the region's finest decoys.

Mackey continues, “...the Crumb family, who also came from New England. Splendid baymen and hunters, they seem to have made few decoys, and none are known with identifiable Crumb markings. Captain Charles H. Crumb of Oyster, Virginia, who was born in 1840 and was badly wounded in the Civil War, hunted until 1920. A student of nature and an excellent taxidermist, he must have had some outstanding decoys. His rig and that of Joseph H. Crumb (1885-1935), the family's best-known hunter, have disappeared.”

While demonstrating all of the bold features that define the Cobb style, this premier example reveals a subtle delicacy seldom seen in any Southern decoy. This hollow bird sports a rare inletted head with a huge craw raising from the breast. Local history relays this bulged chest and low head represented a well fed and contented bird. Newberry notes that collectors generally agree that geese with inletted heads are earlier than the applied heads. The head turns to the left in a calm pose with full cheeks, German glass eyes, and excellent proportions. The bird is a giant, measuring well over two feet long at twenty-six and one-half inches. Nathan’s tail carving is among the finest seen on any Northampton County decoy and a ridge arcs from the diamond-cut raised wing tips across to the bold shoulders. With an appealing, and untouched bone-dry patina, this Mackey example has one of the better surfaces and forms of any Cobb goose to come to market. In rare, dry paint with a mix of original and Cobb working overpaint with gunning wear. Some cracks to body, black added to area of reset neck cracks, and there is a very old chip to lower right edge of bill.

Provenance: Crumb Family Rig William J. Mackey Jr. Collection, acquired from Oscar Crumb Lawrence A. Carton Jr. Collection, acquired from the above, c. 1950 Peter Carton Collection, by descent from the above

Literature: Dr. S. Lloyd Newberry, "Wings of Wonder: The Remarkable Story of the Cobb Family and the Priceless Decoys They Created on Their Island Paradise," Columbia, SC, 2020, front dust-jacket cover, two reaching geese illustrated, pp. 222-224, related inletted-head geese illustrated. William J. Mackey Jr., “American Bird Decoys.” New York, 1965, color pl. VII, related goose illustrated, pp. 151-157, Cobb and Crumb discussed.

Provenance

Crumb Family Rig William J. Mackey Jr. Collection, acquired from Oscar Crumb Lawrence A. Carton Jr. Collection, acquired from the above, c. 1950 Peter Carton Collection, by descent from the above