Paul Gibson Havre de Grace - Signed Canvasback Hen Duck Decoy -1979

Description

A beautiful Canvasback Hen Decoy carved by Paul Gibson of Havre de Grace Maryland in 1979.  It is signed and says made and painted in 1979.  It comes from a smoke free home and has been in our collection a very long time.  If you would like more detailed pictures, please feel free to ask.  I will be happy to accommodate you.  It is in very good condition
Some information about Paul Gibson is provided below:
(1902 - 1984)
Havre de Grace, MD
Paul Gibson was a fisherman, hunter and fireman with the Edgewood Arsenal. He retired in 1965 as the Department Chief (McKinney 41). In 1915, Gibson began using his spare time to make decoys in the shop behind his house.
All of his decoys were hand-made until he bought Madison Mitchell’s lathe. Gibson’s sturdy decoys have chunky features and heads of white pine. He carved in the Havre de Grace style, but made the bodies and tails of his birds thicker than usual and gave them shorter necks. Gibson could carve any species, but was locally famous for his swans. He hired an assistant to help him finish and paint his decoys and repaired and painted others’ lures. Though he did not carve in quantity, Paul Gibson earned the reputation of quality decoy maker among the carvers of the Susquehanna Flats.