antique canada goose decoy
A Rare Oversized Slat Canada Goose Decoy
Joseph Lincoln (1859-1938), Accord (Hingham), MA
c. 1900-20
Carved wood, canvas, tack eyes retaining the original painted finish.
Ht. 21 ½”, L. 39”
Excellent condition with expected wear from use as a working decoy.
Provenance: Found in a beach cottage on Pleasant Bay, near Chatham on Cape Cod, when purchased by previous owners in the 1930’s from the Kidder family.
Geese and Brant were highly sought waterfowl by sport hunters on Cape Cod in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There were several elite clubs on the Cape that catered to Boston and New York sports.
The guides who worked for these clubs used decoys made by themselves, Elmer Crowell, Joseph Lincoln and others. They also raised and kept live Canada geese. A goose spread would include a dozen or more decoys and a pen of live callers. When in the field, the pen birds would call to the birds flying overhead. For decoys, they used large, light-weight slat decoys taken to the field in a horse-drawn wagon.
Crowell and Lincoln slat decoys in original paint are rare, but more rare is this example, which is of monumental size, canvas covered, in original painted and unmolested condition. This bird is one of a pair of rigmates found in a beach cottage on Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod. The cottage was bought with the decoys in the 1930’s from the Kidder family. This Lincoln decoy is arguably the best slat antique canada goose decoy extant.