Inside Decoys from Shelburne MuseumMain MenuDecoy MakingMakers represented in this projectDecoys included in this projectThe rationale behind which decoys were included in the project.About the RadiographsThe nitty gritty about how the radiography was done.BibliographyCited works and works that informed this project.About the AuthorsAbout Nancie Ravenel and Lesley Day MirlingNancie Ravenelbc84e2b969fab7c5f039797f42318c7fcfc8159bLesley Day Mirling3670b61b9eba655d6cf36db8e509081714fc05b1Shelburne Museum
Poster-anterior radiograph of a bluebill drake decoy by Charles "Shang" Wheeler, ca. 1930
12017-08-15T08:58:00-07:00Nancie Ravenelbc84e2b969fab7c5f039797f42318c7fcfc8159b41361The radiograph was taken at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Charles "Shang" Wheeler (Stratford, Connecticut, 1872-1949) Bluebill Drake Decoy, ca. 1930 Wood, leather, paint, glass, and metal Gift of J. Watson, Jr., Harry H., and Samuel B. Webb, 1952-192.194plain2017-08-15T08:58:00-07:001952-192.194Shelburne MuseumNancie Ravenelbc84e2b969fab7c5f039797f42318c7fcfc8159b
12017-08-04T13:38:22-07:00Bluebill Drake Decoy, 1952-192.19413A decoy made c. 1930 by Charles "Shang" Wheeler to illustrate how decoys are madeplain2017-09-10T12:35:39-07:00 This hollow decoy is made of 3 pieces of wood: a head, an upper body and a lower baseboard. Although the upper body/baseboard arrangement is similar to the decoys made by Benjamin Holmes, this decoy has no metal fasteners between the baseboard and body. The head is attached from the inside of the body with a single threaded metal fastener. The other fasteners secure a rigging loop under the breast and a teardrop-shaped weight to the underside.
Like the long-tailed hen decoy made by Wheeler, the rear of the neck nestles into the decoy’s back in a manner quite different from those decoys securely attributed to Laing and Holmes. The scalloped shape of the edges of the hollow within the upper body seen in the posterior-anterior image could have been made by a drill bit or a gouge. However, the stepped shape of the hollow seen in the lateral image suggests use of a drill.
