Long-Billed Curlewc. 19007 5/8 × 17 × 4 1/2"Paint on wood with metal and glassGift of Alastair B. Martin1969.1.880decoy1535141930Mason Decoy FactoryTools and EquipmentThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.Sickle-billed CurlewSickle-billed CurlewSickle-billed CurlewDetroitDetroitUnited StatesMichiganThree Dimensional WorksWildfowl DecoysDetroitObject information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgWilliam James Mason (?–1905) was an avid hunter who first made decoys by hand in the early 1890s. He continued to make decoys full-time until 1896, when he founded the Mason Decoy Factory in Detroit. Bodies were turned by machine and heads were carved and finished by hand. Until 1905 only two top grades were made; after Mason’s death his son introduced three more. The most expensive were hollow bodied and had the most carving and detail. Though produced using factory methods, each bird was painted by hand in a rich texture of swirls, scallops, and feather patterns. The Mason decoys were among the most popular of the factory-produced and attained a high quality even in the lowest grade.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Long-Billed Curlew," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 367.Long-Billed CurlewSickle-billed CurlewSickle-billed CurlewSickle-billed CurlewSickle-billed Curlew18951905 1969 1 88 Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgWilliam James Mason (?–1905) was an avid hunter who first made decoys by hand in the early 1890s. He continued to make decoys full-time until 1896, when he founded the Mason Decoy Factory in Detroit. Bodies were turned by machine and heads were carved and finished by hand. Until 1905 only two top grades were made; after Mason’s death his son introduced three more. The most expensive were hollow bodied and had the most carving and detail. Though produced using factory methods, each bird was painted by hand in a rich texture of swirls, scallops, and feather patterns. The Mason decoys were among the most popular of the factory-produced and attained a high quality even in the lowest grade.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Long-Billed Curlew," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 367.Long-Billed Curlew