Elmer Crowell P.w.w. Black-bellied Plover

A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952) East Harwich, MA, c. 1910 11 1/4 in. long

Parker “Buck” Williams Whittemore, Esq. (1872–1959)

Parker “Buck” Williams Whittemore, Esq. was a Harvard graduate, class of 1895, where he captained the baseball team. Whittemore acted as the treasurer and later a director of the Laconia Car Company. The company made horse-drawn and electric trolley cars for the streets of Boston and Los Angeles. In addition to being a hunter, Whittemore was a boatbuilder, a tournament golfer, and the commodore of the Gloucester Yacht Club. He had homes in West Gloucester and Boston’s newly formed Back Bay, as well as an estate in Wareham, Massachusetts. Along with several other decoys, Crowell made Whittemore a rig consisting of plover and willet that all bear his “P. W. W.” brand and display bold form and exceptional paint patterns.

The large, full body and excellent paint of this decoy are signatures of the Parker “Buck” Williams Whittemore rig. The underside bears his "P.W.W." brand. Original paint with gunning wear, including slightly blunted bill tip and some darkening between stick hole and tail.

Provenance: Parker “Buck” Williams Whittemore Rig Private Collection

Literature: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr. and Chelsie W. Olney, "Elmer Crowell: Father of American Bird Carving," Hingham, MA, 2019, pp. 139-140, Whittemore profiled and rigmates illustrated. Linda and Gene Kangas, “Connecting the Dots: Exploring the provenance of Elmer Crowell's decoys,” Decoy Magazine, March/April 2010, p. 33, rigmates illustrated. Guyette and Schmidt, "North American Decoys at Auction, April 27 & 28, 2000," Ogunquit, ME, cover and p. 33, lot 124, exact decoy illustrated.

Provenance

Parker “Buck” Williams Whittemore Rig Private Collection