Cleveland Canvasback
Northeast River, Havre de Grace, MD, c. 1890
14 1/2 in. long
A flat-bottomed wooden wing duck with the following inscription on the bottom: "Cleveland wing duck by unknown maker authenticated by J. Evans McKinney, May 9th, 1991." President Grover Cleveland was an avid sportsman and enjoyed duck hunting on the Susquehanna Flats. This decoy is from a rig he is reported to have hunted over. Dr. George Ross Starr, Jr. had several canvasback decoys from this rig in his collection.
Cleveland's northern hunting estate, Gray Gables, overlooked Buzzard's Bay on Cape Cod. Other decoys used on the property were made by Preston Allen Wright.
Old working paint with heavy gunning wear and a neck crack.
Provenance: Ronald S. Swanson Collection
Literature: George Ross Starr, Jr., M.D., "Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway," New York, NY, 1974, pp. 254-266.
Condition
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