Ward Brothers Rare Blue-winged Teal Pair

The Ward Brothers Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976) Crisfield, MD, 1950 11 1/2 in. long

A fine rigmate pair of blue-winged teal decoys with turned heads, long flared bills, and upswept tails made in the "1948" style. The underside of each tail is signed and dated 1950. The bottom of the balsa bodies are signed and dated 1948 by Lem and stamped for the Headley and Campbell collections. Somers Headley is known to have acquired decoys directly from the Wards during this era.

Ward blue-wings are vastly outnumbered by the green-wings. Illustrating the rarity of this pair, Gard and McGrath's heavily illustrated and definitive volume on the Wards features seven green-wings and zero blue-wings by the brothers. Original paint with light wear.

Provenance: Somers G. Headley Collection Dave Campbell Collection

Literature: Ronald J. Gard and Brian J. McGrath, "The Ward Brothers' Decoys: A Collector's Guide," Plano, TX, 1989, p. 98, related green-wing teal illustrated, no blue-wings illustrated.

Provenance

Somers G. Headley Collection Dave Campbell Collection