Perch Decoy

Ervin Stewart, Perch Decoy, ca. 1930-1950, carved and pyroengraved wood with metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.60
Copied Ervin Stewart, Perch Decoy, ca. 1930-1950, carved and pyroengraved wood with metal, 1 3⁄4 x 8 3⁄8 x 3 in. (4.5 x 21.1 x 7.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.60

Artwork Details

Title
Perch Decoy
Artist
Attributed to Ervin Stewart
Date
ca. 1930-1950
Location
Dimensions
1 3⁄4 x 8 3⁄8 x 3 in. (4.5 x 21.1 x 7.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
carved and pyroengraved wood with metal
Classifications
Keywords
  • Animal — fish — perch
Object Number
1986.65.60
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.60

Artwork Description

Carved fish decoys are one of the earliest forms of American folk art. Hunters around the Bering Sea first used small bone or ivory decoys for ice fishing around 1000 AD. They believed that the decoys embodied the innua, or inner spirit of the fish. The practice spread to upstate New York and the Great Lakes, where it became a tourist industry with many communities growing around prime fishing areas. Ice fishing was banned in 1905, however, because the popularity of the sport had brought about a serious decline in large game fish. During the Depression, many hunters and fishermen turned again to fish spearing for survival. The decoys from this period are simpler, focusing on realistic shapes, colors, and movement rather than fanciful decoration (Steven Michaan, American Fish Decoys, 2003).