Waterfowl & Shorebird Decoy Collection

by Albert A. Muchka

Collection History

The Waterfowl & Shorebird Decoy Collection was begun in 1966 by Museum artist William Schultz. The core of the early collection was made up of decoys that were manufactured by WPA artist/carvers at MPM from patterns drawn by Museum taxidermist Warren Dettmann. These decoys were made for the Museum Zoology Department and were used to hunt for waterfowl specimens in the 1930s and 40s. Further interest in the Waterfowl Decoy Collection was expressed by J. Grigsby Markham and Museum Director Stephen Borhegyi. With the Assistance of the Friends of the Museum organization, hunters and collectors around Wisconsin, funds were solicited for the establishment of the collection and its augmentation over the ensuing seven years.

The first influx of decoys for the collection came after Schultz, Markham and Borhegyi brought the entire IBM Decoy Exhibition to Milwaukee in late 1966. Sponsored by the 1st Wisconsin Bank the show raised enough funds for the Museum to purchase 48 decoys from the show including a portion of the Bill Mackey. Collection. After the IBM/1st Wisconsin show, Mackey acted as a consultant to the collection and assisted the Museum in obtaining decoys throughout the late 1960s. Twenty-six additional decoys were obtained through Mackey. Portions of the collection were established as memorials to Theodore Eschweiler (1967) and Stephen Borhegyi (1969). Of the collection's approximate 390 pieces, nearly half (215) were collected during 1967 alone. Active collecting seems to have ended in 1969. Thereafter, the collection relied on sporadic donations to this day. With the retirement of Schultz from the Museum in 1973 all activity with the collection ceased and the care of the collection fell to the History Section staff.

By 1968 Schultz had clearly defined the purpose of the Decoy Collection as illustrative of the general history of decoys in America with emphasis upon the classic Eastern and Midwestern carvers and manufacturers. An additional statement broadened the scope of the collection to include the "fine contemporary work of today, as well as any...decoy that is unique in conception and execution". At that point the collection expanded with variants of the hunter's art in papier mache, plastics and contemporary factory and home-made designs. Very few ornamental or decorative decoys were collected. Preference dictated the collection of "working decoys" from hunter's rigs. The collection still follows this general acquisitions policy as laid out by Schultz in 1968.

The collection has had three exhibitions. The IBM/1st Wisconsin show of 1966; a large temporary introduction to the collection in the Museum lobby in 1967; and in 1980 Museum artist Ken Kratz produced the exhibit "Decoys: Art of the Hunter". There is a small permanent exhibit of decoys on the second floor, Wisconsin/US natural history area. The decoys in the small permanent exhibit were rotated in 1991. Since 1980, the collection has remained in careful storage in the History Section.

Collection Strengths

The strength of the collection lies in its breadth. It is an example of a survey collection demonstrating the various Eastern and Midwestern schools of decoy making thought. The collection has examples of most major decoy carvers and manufacturers. The collection spans 1890 through the 1940s with regard to individual carvers and reaches into the 1980s with factory made decoys. Additionally, the collection boasts having good examples of species, such as yellowlegs, goldeneye, and ringnecks, rarely made by individual carvers. The collection is particularly strong on decoys from the Illinois River School of carvers. The core of the collection is 75 decoys from the Bill Mackey Collection. Most are illustrated in his book, American Bird Decoys.

Top Half Dozen Specimens
  1. Canada Goose by Nathan Cobb circa 1890s.
  2. Canvasback drake by Lem & Lee Dudley circa 1890s. (from the Mackey Collection, illustrated in American Bird Decoys plate 140)
  3. Yellowlegs (shorebird) by Ira Hudson circa 1920. (fewer than 2 dozen made. assumed to be one of the best examples known to survive)
  4. Herring Gull un-attributed, Eastern Shore. ca. 1900-20. (one of 6 known to exist)
  5. Canvasback set (drake & hen) by Charles Perdew circa 1930's.
  6. Goldeneye by Ben Holmes circa 1890s.