Charles Birch Swan

Charles Birch (1867-1956) Willis Wharf, VA, c. 1920 There are only a handful of Birch swan decoys known to exist. Born in Maryland and raised on Chincoteague, Birch moved south to Willis Wharf, Virginia, in Northampton County at age thirty-nine where he was a boat builder, waterman, and decoy carver.

This hollow swan, with its graceful down-turned head and long slender neck, features an inserted oak bill, tack eyes, and a raised neck seat. Its bold form places it amongst the top tier of the known Birch swan examples.

Used at the Gooseville Gun Club in Hatteras, North Carolina, this confidence decoy came out of the rig of the club’s founder, George Albert Lyon (1882-1961). Lyon was an industrialist, avid sportsman, and long-time friend of the sporting author Van Campen Heilner, who documented the club and wrote A Book on Duck Shooting.

Charles Birch swans have achieved a coveted status amongst decoy collectors today, as few carvers made more graceful designs. The hollow patterned birds with their proud breasts and sweeping arched necks have long captured the attention of collectors.

Working swan decoys of any type are exceptionally rare as most were used as confidence decoys, with typically only a single or pair used in a gunning rig. In excellent structural condition. In early working paint with even gunning wear.

Provenance: George Albert Lyon Rig, Gooseville Gun Club, North Carolina Private Collection, by descent in the Lyon family Private Collection, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, acquired from Collectable Old Decoys

Literature: Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, p. 213, similar decoy illustrated. Joe Engers, ed., "The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys," San Diego, CA, 1990, pp. 160-161, similar example illustrated. Gene and Linda Kangas, “Decoys: A North American Survey,” Spanish Fork, UT, 1983, color plate 3, similar decoy illustrated. Loy S. Harrell, Jr., "Decoys: North America's One Hundred Greatest," Iola, WI, 2000, pp. 166-167, related decoy illustrated.

Provenance

George Albert Lyon Rig, Gooseville Gun Club, North Carolina Private Collection, by descent in the Lyon family Private Collection, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, acquired from Collectable Old Decoys