Merritt P. Pinkham Eider Hen

Capt. Merritt P. Pinkham (1861-1947) Seguin Island, ME, c. 1900

An oversize Down East sea duck decoy with black glass eyes, an inletted head, and an oval George R. Starr Collection ink stamp on the bottom.

Merritt Pinkham was the lighthouse keeper on Seguin Island in Maine during the Great Storm of 1898 when a schooner shipwrecked on the island. Starr writes, "The keeper of the Seguin Light was a friend of [J. Allen Drinkwater's, (1866-1952)] named Captain Pinkham. By 1900 he had finally salvaged the schooner's pine bowsprit, made the eider decoys out of the wood, and sold them to Allen." Original paint with possible later white accents. Worn to the wood in places with gunning wear, and a couple tight cracks, one of which has a wooden patch by the maker.

Provenance: J. Allen Drinkwater Rig Dr. George Ross Starr Collection Private Collection

Literature: George Ross Starr, Jr., M.D., "Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway," New York, NY, 1974, p. 124 and color plate 13, rigmate illustrated.

Provenance

J. Allen Drinkwater Rig Dr. George Ross Starr Collection Private Collection