Fish Decoy

Unidentified, Fish Decoy, 20th century, painted wood with metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.63
Copied Unidentified, Fish Decoy, 20th century, painted wood with metal, 1 5⁄8 x 5 7⁄8 x 1 7⁄8 in. (4.0 x 14.9 x 4.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.63
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Fish Decoy
Artist
Unidentified
Date
20th century
Location
Dimensions
1 5⁄8 x 5 7⁄8 x 1 7⁄8 in. (4.0 x 14.9 x 4.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted wood with metal
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — fish
Object Number
1986.65.63
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.63

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).