CC0 · no rights reserved
Merganser Drake Decoy
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
North American hunters have used decoys for centuries. Native Americans made decoys from reeds, clay, and stuffed skins to lure migrating birds within range of their arrows or spears. European pioneers adopted this technique, and by the early nineteenth century both commercial and sport hunters used carved wooden decoys. Craftsmen shape and decorate decoys either to imitate the desired bird’s prey or “trick” them into thinking it is safe to land.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionCredit lineMerganser Drake Decoy. early 20th century. Unidentified. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson. CC0.
