Elmer Crowell Willet

A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952) East Harwich, MA, c. 1910 A plump early shorebird decoy with large tack eyes. The fullness of the neck and broken white flanks clearly identify the species as a willet. Crowell’s yellowlegs are much thinner in the neck and do not display the broken white wing-patch. Only a handful of willet decoys from this “bold necked” rig have ever surfaced. In excellent original paint, a few minor rubs; the bill is a professional replacement.

Provenance: Private Collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Literature: J. M. Levinson and Somers G. Headley, Shorebirds, Centerville, MD, 1991, color plate 4-14, p. 59.

Provenance

Private Collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts