Inside Decoys from Shelburne Museum

Black Duck, 27.FD4-120


This decoy was made by Stephen Verity, of Seaford, NY, c. 1895. The body of the decoy is made from two slabs of cork attached to a bottom board in a manner consistent with that described by Joel Barber in Wild Fowl Decoys. The head is made of carved wood and has eyes made of metal tacks with enamel coated heads. The underside of the decoy is marked to indicate that it was once owned by Theodore Havemeyer (1839-1897).

The manner in which the various elements are attached to one another are evident in the radiographs. The x-ray opaque material between seen between the layers of cork is likely to be an adhesive that contains lead, perhaps what Joel Barber referred to as "cement". Round buckshot is seen in the head and body, indicating that the decoy had been used in the field.

Some adjustment in the lateral view is required to observe the pegs that attach the bottom board to the lower cork layer in the radiograph.

Using a technique called Volume RAD tomography, the tacks that make up the eyes and the hardware within the neck could be observed with greater ease and be measured.


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