The G. K. Schmidt Elliston Mallard Pair, Robert Elliston (1847-1925)

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The Winter Sale 2019

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 16, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-16 10:00:00 2019-02-16 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2019 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2019-3820
The sale will offer the opportunity to view and take home world-class paintings and fine bird carvings. Featuring selections from the collections of Alfred Ely, L. H. LaMonte, Grant Nelson, Ronald S. Swanson, Herb Wetanson, and a descendant of Chester F. Spear among others. Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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• Lot Description
  The G. K. Schmidt Elliston Mallard Pair
  Robert Elliston (1847-1925)
  Bureau, IL, c. 1920
  17 in. long
  
  Widely regarded as the father of the Illinois River decoy carving tradition, Robert Elliston, along with his wife, Catherine, set the standard against which all Illinois River decoys are measured. They made beautifully crafted decoys using the finest cured white pine. Robert’s honed woodworking skills allowed him to produce birds with nearly invisible body seams, many of which are still imperceptible to this day. The unmistakable raised “V” notched bill carving, pointed head crests, and exquisite paint by Catherine Elliston and Edna Perdew give these Elliston decoys their bold and dynamic appearance.
  
  Robert Elliston was born in Kentucky in 1849. In his late teens he apprenticed as a carriage-maker at the Studebaker woodworking shop in South Bend, Indiana. He moved on to work for Henry Olds and later the McLaren Hearse and Coach Manufacturing Company. Working as a carriage-maker with shops in New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, Elliston became a seasoned woodworker, a skill that would later serve him greatly.
  
  It was while working in St. Louis that the young Elliston met Margaret Cumminski. The two enjoyed a brief courtship, were married, and moved to Lacon, Illinois. In Lacon, Robert worked for the Brereton Buggy Shop. A few short years later tragedy hit; an influenza epidemic took the lives of Margaret and their newborn son.
  
  Robert, shortly thereafter, began a relationship with Margaret’s sister, Catherine. Robert and Catherine married, staying in Lacon briefly, before moving to the Undercliff Hotel on Lake Senachwine, near Putnam, Illinois. It is likely that while still living in Lacon, Catherine saw the decoys of Steven Lane and the crisp paint applied to his decoys resonated with her. Situated in the heart of the Midwest Flyway, the Ellistons’ legacy began to take shape.
  
  Catherine applied graceful paint patterns that are virtually unequalled by any of her contemporaries, with the exception of Edna Perdew. She developed her own techniques of scratch feathering that echo the finest grain-painted chests of Pennsylvania made during the mid-nineteenth century. Implementing a metal grain-comb to help suggest feathering and to give the decoys a more realistic look, her painting techniques were later copied by Millie Graves and other painters up and down the Illinois River.
  
  It is no secret among collectors that Catherine Elliston and Edna Perdew used hens to showcase their abilities. While most decoy painters shied away from the difficulties of painting a hen’s plumage, these two women embraced the challenge, defining the paint of the region. Indeed, today the world records set for each of the maker’s work stands at over $200,000, with both records set by hens.
  
  At the turn of the twentieth century, as more and more gentleman arrived by train from Chicago to partake in the growing sport of duck hunting on Lake Senachwine, word about the decoys made by the talented Ellistons continued to spread. The “sports,” as the local guides and carvers called them, began placing orders with the Ellistons for hunting rigs en masse. The orders quickly blossomed into a full-time business and soon the couple was shipping decoys to sporting goods stores and individuals around the country. Though the Elliston’s likely produced hundreds, if not thousands, of carvings in their lifetime, perhaps none are from a more famous rig than G. K. Schmidt’s.
  
  George K. Schmidt (1869-1939), a Chicagoan, was the president of the Prudential State Savings Bank who famously stashed away his decoy rig in a bank basement for over four decades. According to waterfowling historian Donna Tonelli, the Schmidt family “...owned the K.G. Brewery in Chicago which was started during the late 1880’s...As a young man Schmidt graduated as a Brew Master from Brewers Academy at Worms, Germany in 1890 and then served as an apprentice at his father’s K.G Schmidt brewery.” Schmidt would eventually rise to president of the company in 1933, soon after Congress repealed Prohibition.
  
  Noted for enjoying the finer things in life, including being a gun collector and hunter, Schmidt purchased some of the best decoys ever produced in the Midwest, with representative carvings by the Mason Decoy Factory, Charles H. Perdew, and Robert Elliston, including this important mallard pair. While several Perdew Schmidt rig pairs are known to exist, this is believed to be the only Elliston Schmidt pair to ever come to market. The hen displays some of the best paint found on any Elliston decoy. Additionally, the drake, shows nice swirl and scratch feather paint. Both decoys are struck with the large “G. K. SCHMIDT” brand, with the drake also featuring Schmidt’s smaller brand. In excellent paint by Catherine Elliston and Edna Perdew with minimal wear.
  
  Provenance: G. K. Schmidt Rig
  Herb Wetanson Collection
  
  Literature: Donna Tonelli, "Fish and Fowl Decoys of the Great Lakes," Atglen, PA, 2002, p. 113, similar decoys illustrated.
  Stephen O'Brien and Julie Carlson, "Masterworks of the Illinois River," Boston, MA, 2005, pp. 30-32, related decoys illustrated.

  Condition

  Condition report requests can be made via email or by telephone (info@copleyart.com or 617.536.0030). Any condition statement given is a courtesy to customers, Copley will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition.
• Shipping Info

  • Shipping info

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