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RARE -SUPERB \"SIGNED\" c1915 CHARLES PERDEW Hollow ILLINOIS RIVER Wood Duck Decoy a.imagelink {color:#000000;} a:hover.imagelink {color:#000000;} a:visited.imagelink {color:#00A8A8;} a.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #000000; } a:visited.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #00A8A8; }

This Beautiful Pair of Mallards Up For sale Were:

CARVED & RIGGED BY CHARLES PERDEW (1874-1963) HENRY, ILLINOIS!!

• This Beautiful Pair of Mallards Up For sale are The Same Carving Form as This Rare Mint Pair Below!! 

This Beautiful Pair of Mallards Up For sale Were:

CARVED & RIGGED BY \"CHARLES PERDEW\" (1874-1963)

• with ORIGINAL PAINT by CHARLES PERDEW\'S WIFE \"EDNA PERDEW\" (1882-1974) of Neighboring Henry, Illinois!
• SIGNED & AWESOME PAINT by CHARLES HADDON PERDEW (1910-1998)

RARE, SIGNED and DATED; c1915 CHARLES HOWARD PERDEW (1874-1963);  ILLINOIS RIVER \"Hollow\" DRAKE MALLARD WOOD DUCK DECOY; (Marshall County) HENRY, ILLINOIS

• CARVED & RIGGED BY CHARLES PERDEW (1874-1963) of Henry, Illinois
• ORIGINAL PAINT by CHARLES PERDEW\'S WIFE EDNA PERDEW (1882-1974) of Henry, Illinois!
• SIGNED & DATED When REPAINTED in 1980 By CHARLES HADDON PERDEW (1910-1998) Next Door to Parents in Henry, Illinois!!  Edna lived with Son After Charles passing in 1963)

CHARLES \"HADDON\" PERDEW Was Taught How to Carve by His Father CHARLES PERDEW!!

-and- \"HADDON\" Was Taught How To Paint By His Mother EDNA PERDEW!!!

CHARLES PERDEW TAUGHT MANY ILLINOIS RIVER CARVERS HOW TO CARVE!! 

-and- EDNA PERDEW NOT ONLY PAINTED MOST HER HUSBAND\'S FINEST DECOYS, BUT ALSO PAINTED DECOYS For Jack Schwartz and Many other Henry, Illinois Area Carvers!! 

(Similar to How BERT GRAVES and Many other Bureau, Illinois Area Carvers USED CATHERINE ELLISTON to Paint Their Decoys!!)

 

THE VERY RARE HEN RIG MATE TO THIS DRAKE IS ALSO ON IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A MATED PAIR THAT HAVE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE THEY WERE MADE A HALF-CENTURY AGO!!

SHIPPING INCLUDES INSURANCE

This 100+ year old Hollow Pine, Drake Mallard Wood Duck Decoy was carved by Charles Perdew (1874-1963) of Henry, Illinois, which a small city in Marshall County that has traditionally and to this day has a population that fluctuates around 2,500. Henry is located on the northwest banks of the Illinois River and
Henry is named after General James D. Henry, and was initially surveyed in 1834.  The topology of the land on the west side of the Illinois River, with relatively steep banks rising well above river level, assured early settlers that their homes would not flood.  Its slogan, \"Best Town in Illinois by a Dam Site,\" is derived from the city\'s distinction of having the first lock and dam built on the Illinois River.  It was completed in 1870 at a cost of $400,000.  In the early spring of 1854, Governor Joel Matteson signed a charter declaring Henry, Illinois a city. Since that time many exciting things have happened in Henry.  Abraham Lincoln spoke in Henry, and it was an excursion stop for steamboats coming from Peoria, plus the local baseball teams played both the Chicago Cubs and the White Sox. Charles and Edna Perdew did their wildlife carving and painting from their home overlooking the Illinois River. Their home and workshop are now restored as a memorial to this renowned decoy carver.

Above: VINTAGE PHOTO OF CHARLES PERDEW AND HIS WIFE EDNA!! 

Above: THE PERDEW\'S WORKSHOP IN A MORE RECENT PHOTO!! 

From a waterfowling and decoy carving standpoint, Henry is quite likely the most important town located along the shores of the Illinois River because it was home to one of the most famous family names in U. S. carving history, the Perdew family.  Charles H. Perdew was the head of the family and he and his decoys are as well known as any other carver from any region in North America.  Perdew ranks right up there with Shourds, Wheeler, Crowell, Holly and all of the other famous carving names from the 19th and 20th centuries.  Charles was certainly the patriarch of the Perdew family, but almost as important was his wife Edna Perdew, who was one of the region\'s most important decoy painters and her styles and techniques were truly pioneering at the time and set many of the standards as to what an awesome Illinois River decoy\'s paint job should look like.  But the apples didn\'t fall too far from the tree, as Charles and Edna\'s son Charles Haddon Perdew was also an important carver and painter in his own right.  Although the Perdew\'s were perhaps the most well-known and prolific Illinois River carvers and painters on the Illinois, the expanded area to the north and south was also home to a plethora of other fine carvers that all made decoys in the traditional Illinois River style, form, construction and paint.

Above:  A BEAUTIFULLY CARVED AND PAINTED PAIR OF PERDEW MALLARDS WITH THE SAME GREAT FOR,M AND STYLE AS THIS PAIR OF MALLARDS UP FOR sale!! 

While I would love to do a full write up regarding Charles, Edna and Haddon Perdew, it would take hours to type in and describe all of the Perdew family\'s carving, painting and creative endeavors.  There is Just Simply a Great Number of Articles and Chapters in Books to fully Describe and Illustrate their Important and Extraordinary Carving Efforts, and duck decoys only scratches the surface.

The Perdew name resounds like thunder through the world of antique collectibles.  As a pioneer of the immensely creative school of early 20th Century Illinois River carvers, Perdew\'s work is classic.  Almost everything Charlie made at first was designed for hunting. 

Herb Desch of Chicago, a promoter of antique decoy shows, ranks Perdew among the \"big four\" of Illinois carvers with Robert Elliston, Ben Graves and Charles Schoenheider Sr. of nearby Putnam.  Schoenheider even made a dozen iron-footed standing goose ice decoys in 1919, two of which sold for $99,000 and $93,500. One of Perdew\'s rare green-wing teal--which he sold to hunters for $24 a dozen--was saleed for $30,350 three years ago.  Other Decoys Carved By Charles Perdew Sold For Much More at sale and Below is just a FORM MUCH LIKE THIS BEAUTIFUL PAIR UP FOR sale, THE DECOYS MADE BY THE PERDEW\'S ARE AMONG THE MOST VALUABLE IN THE WORLD!! 

In Illinois--with one of the more gloried waterfowling traditions--Charles Perdew also carved one-of-a-kind, outstanding calls including duck, goose and crow calls. In his definitive 1994 volume, \"Duck Calls of Illinois,\" Robert D. Christensen boldly states that \"duck and crow calls made by Perdew are, unquestionably, the most treasured of all Illinois calls.\"

Above: A SAMPLING OF THREE AWESOME CHARLES PERDEW CALLS!!

Almost everything made by the Perdew\'s was made on the bluffs in Henry, where the broad Illinois bends through some of the more storied wetlands in duck hunting lore.  A \"river rat\" who learned to make a living with his hands, Charles Perdew began carving at the age of 14.  His output included gun stocks and smithing, bicycle repairs and general carpentry. He and his wife, Edna--who died in 1974 at the age of 92--spent two years building and dressing their house by hand, hauling up the hill by cart enough river stones for a massive foundation. 

The house was completed in 1909, featuring all kinds of mirthful Perdew touches--from \"eyebrow\" windows to an upper-level porch that enabled him to keep an eye on his pals along the river.  By the time Charles Perdew died, the house had begun to crumble with age and neglect and his wife Edna soon moved next door to the home of their son, Haddon, a noted carver in his own right and the Man that Painted this Awesome pair of Mallards Up For sale!!

By the time Haddon had died in 1998 at 87, the old house had become a wreck. Rain had warped ceilings and walls. The workshop in back--also built from river stone--had burned and crumpled, burying years of artifacts and memories.  But it was eventually totally refurbished and it is now a must see attraction in Henry, Illinois.

Above: ANOTHER VINTAGE PHOTO OF PERDEW WHITTLING AWAY!! 

Charles Perdew was born in Putnam County, Illinois on a farm about three miles east of Henry, Illinois on April 30, 1874.  He and his brothers helped on the family farm and it was here that he began making decoys including some early Bluebill duck decoys.  He used these decoys to shoot ducks near his home, selling them in the Chicago market.  Little did he know that this practical endeavor would someday help turn wooden ducks into American folk art that would be in demand by collectors all over the world.

Above:  JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PAIR OF PERDEW\'S, MUCH LIKE THE EARLY BLUEBILLS THAT SET THE STAGE FOR THE FUTURE!!

Charles Perdew had many talents and many paths to follow before he made a name for himself carving duck decoys. In 1889 Charlie went to Chicago, where he worked as a meat packer and then as a carpenter “to help put together” the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893.  He also attended the Chicago Art Institute to study painting.  Soon after, he left Chicago and returned to Henry.  Among his seemingly endless abilities, Charlie punched cattle, operated a shooting gallery, opened a bicycle shop, sold and repaired guns, and built boats. He farmed, hunted, fished, and trapped.  He made his own wooden false teeth and his own eyeglasses, and he began again to make duck decoys.  In 1902 Charlie married Edna Haddon also of Henry who started painting his duck and crow decoys. Between 1903 – 1909 Charlie perfected his crow call and patented it November 2, 1909. Also during those years he built a new home and shop across the street from their first home. Here Charlie and Edna remained until his death in 1963.

Above: THREE MALLARDS MADE BY THE PERDEW\'S WITH EDNA\'S PAINT AND CHARLIE\'S BEAUTIFUL & CONCISE CARVING!! 

Together the Perdews worked and watched the decoy business grow.  In 1924 Charlie entered a pair of handmade mallard decoys in a decoy contest at Abercrombie & Fitch of New York and won second place for his craftsmanship. The Perdews made and sold thousands of decoys over the years, as many as 300 each season.  But Charlie especially enjoyed turning out a decoy for a customer to give for a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion.  In the mid 30’s he started making ornamental decoys; miniature and half-size decoys and life size birds of all kinds. Edna Perdew did all the painting until 1941, when she contracted an illness that prevented her from painting.  Charlie then carved and painted.

 Above:  JUST A SAMPLING OF THE THOUSAND\'S OF TREASURES THAT CAME FROM THE PERDEW HOUSEHOLD!! 

With flowing red hair, Charlie Perdew was known as a something of an eccentric, and the Perdew home was so cluttered with newspapers, furniture and other things that visitors had to wind their way along a path to even get to the kitchen.  Charlie Perdew also was a tinker and he once built his own car and made his own false teeth.

Above:  JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PERDEW MALLARD VERY MUCH LIKE THIS BEAUTY UP FOR sale!!

Above:  (LOOK AT THE PERFECT FORM):  THIS BEAUTIFUL PERDEW MALLARD UP FOR sale SHARES THE AWESOME FORM OF CHARLIE\'S GREATEST DECOYS!!

By the mid-1930\'s, Charlie Perdew had turned over his gun repair business to his son Haddon and started carving miniatures, half sizes and full sizes of all kinds of birds. Pine was his primary carving medium, unless the buyer supplied the wood.  If necessary, Perdew utilized timbers from old bridges, beams from empty buildings or leftover wood from sash and door factories to his advantage. From these sources, he carved semi-hollow three-piece decoys. These early decoys were V-shaped (exactly like this pair up for sale) and had large heads with full cheeks. Later decoys were still carved from pine, but these were two-pieced with more of a rounded bottom and fuller chests, ALSO EXACTLY LIKE THIS BEAUTIFUL PAIR UP FOR sale. For the sake of practicality, Perdew\'s gunning decoys, both regular- and over-sized, were hollow, while his half-sizes and miniatures were solid.  All Perdew decoys received detailed head carving and some had raised wings and slightly turned heads whittled with a pocket knife. Perdew did the majority of the carving with a draw-knife, wood gouge and whittling knife.  Because of the belt sander Perdew used, the back of the neck on some of his decoys is somewhat ridged, and the end of the body under the tail is pointed instead of rounded.

Above:  JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PERDEW DECOY, A PINTAIL CARVED BY CHARLIE AND PAINTED BY EDNA!!

Above:  JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PERDEW DECOY, A PINTAIL HEN CARVED BY CHARLIE AND PAINTED BY EDNA!!

Perdew produced just about every species common to the Midwest.  Both he and his wife Edna painted the decoys. She created a look with combing that was feathery, while he used a stiff brush and did bold outlining. To identify the lures he and his wife produced, Perdew hand-cast many of his weights reading \"Henry ... PERDEW ... Ill.\"

Above:  JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PAIR OF PERDEW DECOYS, A PAIR OF CANVASBACKS CARVED BY CHARLIE AND PAINTED BY EDNA!!

Edna Perdew was a quiet, artistic woman who was often overshadowed by her husband Charlie’s more outgoing personality.  But behind the scenes, she contributed greatly to his success.  Edna was usually at home and she was very quiet and was a known to be a very kind and nice lady to all that met her.
Edna’s artistic talent was evident to those around her and she painted many, many different things.  She did everything from landscapes to portraits and
Edna also painted murals on the interior walls of her home — a more common fad in later years that was unique at the time Edna. While Charlie typically dominated the conversations, Edna made valuable contributions to his business and she helped him a great deal and of course, if you have a decoy she painted, it’s worth more than those Charlie painted.

Above:  BEAUTIFULLY CARVED PERDEW HALF-SIZE SHOVELERS!!! 

Charles Haddon Perdew was born Dec. 3, 1910, in Henry, Illinois like his father and he was the only son of Charles Howard and Edna Haddon Perdew. Haddon married Dorothy G. Kapraun on Sept. 15, 1930 and she passed away on May 5, 1995. Haddon worked in the electronic department at Westclox in Peru and worked with his father on duck decoys and duck calls. He was an Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War and Haddon was a member of Henry American Legion. He was also a member of the Amateur Radio Operators, Starved Rock Radio Club and the Quarter Century Wireless Club.

Haddon Perdew died at the age of 87 at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, 1998, in Toluca, Illinois.  Haddon and his wife Dorothy had a wonderful family that included three sons; Harold of Magnolia, Edward of Harshaw, Wis. and Eugene of Astoria; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

As far as making decoys are concerned, like many other Illinois River carvers, Charlie Perdew was an extremely talented wood worker, but his painting skills were not as desirable as his wife Edna\'s and like \"neighbor\" Jack Schartz  he employed Edna Perdew in nearby Henry to paint his decoys.  He wasn\'t the only one however, as Mike Vallero and a handful of other carvers used the very talented wife of Charles Perdew, his wife Edna Perdew.  Another popular painting wife on the Illinois River was Robert Elliston\'s wife Catherine Elliston, who painted decoys for several carvers in the Bureau county area including the incomparable decoy carver and maker Bert Graves.  It is not known necessarily when Jack Schwartz began carving decoys, but at some point in time he was Taught by Charlie Perdew in Henry, Illinois, who lived a mere 6 miles to the north of Schwartz and Lacon. Although Jack Schwartz and others may have painted a number of their decoys, they heavily relied on the services of nearby Edna Perdew to paint a great many number of their birds. This is just one case of many on the Illinois River where a very keen carver and wood worker had a more precise and competent painter finish some of their white lead primered decoys.

ABOVE is a BEAUTIFUL PAIR of JACK SCHWARTZ MALLARDS Almost EXACTLY LIKE Those MADE By HIS TEACHER CHARLES PERDEW  -and- PAINTED By EDNA PERDEW!!!

ABOVE is a BEAUTIFUL PAIR of CHARLES PERDEW MALLARDS Made By MR. PERDEW  -and-  LIKE SCHWARTZ\' BIRDS, ALSO PAINTED By EDNA PERDEW!!!

ABOVE is this BEAUTIFUL PAIR of CHARLES PERDEW MALLARDS Made By MR. PERDEW, ORIGINALLY PAINTED By EDNA PERDEW and REPAINTED & SIGNED BY THEIR SON HADDON!!!

• Whether by Request or On His Own Accord, Haddon Perdew Completely Restored This pair of His Parent\'s Decoys in 1980, 17 Years After his Father\'s Passing in 1963 -and- 6 Years After His Mother Edna Passed Away in 1980!!

This Very Unique, Very Rare and Very Awesome Charles Perdew Drake Mallard Gunning decoy up for sale certainly has all of the qualities of a great Illinois River decoy. It has its original lead ballast weight, line-tie and perfectly carved in and located brown glass eyes. The gorgeous original combed paint by Edna Perdew was typically clean and outstanding and the incredible repaint done by Haddon is spectacularly mint and intact and it has a century-old looking patina of its own. The carving on this decoy is also quite extraordinary with a wonderful tail that curves ever so slightly upward and it is somewhat flat although it is arced slightly downward toward each outer edge. The tail also comes nicely straight out from under the wing primaries on the top and it is gradually contoured all of the way to the tail tip from the bottom. This nice hollow decoy also has great body form as it resembles the shape of the v-hull of a boat very precisely, except for the front where it is wonderfully rounded and protruding like the most nicely carved and beautiful contoured decoys that you will find in Charles Perdew\'s incredible carving resume. The breast is semi-sharply formed at the very front of the decoy and it was carved almost like the bow of an ocean liner. The head and neck gracefully flow up and forward from the nicely carved in and raised neck shelf, with Perdew\'s typical definition to the cheeks and the eye brow, where the neck ends and the head begins. The bill has wonderfully carved in nostrils, precise and short mandibles, beautifully carved in head/bill separation and a precise and very nicely filed in nail on the bill\'s nib. The head starts a well-rounded descent after the crown ends and continues onto the bill and arcs more and more before it gets to the end of the bill where it gracefully ends; It is great how the bill has a semi-smile or smirk to it.  This decoy was most likely a well gunned over Illinois River decoy that saw its share of being gunned over but looks Mint Now, and if you like decoys that are over 100 years old and did what they were made to do, this is a great decoy to add to your collection.

THE ABOVE PICTURE is of the BOTTOM OF THIS DECOY WHERE HADDON PERDEW SIGNED, PERSONALIZED AND DATED IT!!!

I encourage you to use the zoom feature in this listing to see the wonderfully applied thick coat of oil paint. This bird exemplifies the quality that Charles Perdew used when making his decoys as I am sure it saw heavy gunning action and yet is in structurally near mint condition with a tight and almost invisible seam and no chips or cracks, and even all of the original rigging is completely intact and as tight as the day this decoy was made over 100 years ago. The neck flows perfectly into the body and was carved with such precision that no neck filler was necessary. Like all of the great Illinois River carving masters, the body seam was planned and executed well above the water line to prevent leakage from usage, and even after all of the gunning this decoy might have seen, the seam is so tight and original that even when you are holding it you have to look closely to see it. This decoy is extremely rare and unique as it shows beautifully and fully represents the talents of this incredible and historically important carving family. This classic, old gunning decoy measures a very large 17\" long x 5-1/2\" wide x 8\" tall and weighs a rig manageable and \"egg-shell\" hollow 1-lbs. 12-ozs.  This decoy was carved with great symmetry and the glass eyes are perfectly carved in and mounted like its wild kin. The bill/head separation on the top and sides is deeply and perfectly carved in with excellent carved in nostrils, mandibles and a deeply filed-in nail on the end. The great high, semi-alert head on this decoy truly looks like a drake mallard that has just landed and is casually looking for danger before it relaxes to feed or sleep. I am sure that this wonderfully formed, Perdew Drake Mallard swam beautifully, rode very high in the water and it must have been a very visible bird to hunt over and flipped right-side immediately.  What a sight 2 dozen of these great decoys must have looked like on the Illinois River.  Awesome addition to any collection of duck decoys and more importantly a very nice, extremely well made decoy from the Illinois River region that just happens to have been gunned over heavily but still shows great as an old gunning bird.  If you have any questions or would like any additional photos please feel free to email me.

THE FIRST PICTURE IN THE PHOTO SECTION OF THIS LISTING IS OF THIS AWESOME PERDEW DRAKE MALLARD UP FOR sale.   THE NEXT 10 PICTURES AR AGAIN OF THIS AWESOME DRAKE MALLARD UP FOR sale ALONG WITH THE HEN RIG MATE THAT IS ALSO ON !!  THE LAST 13 PICTURES ARE AGAIN OF THIS AWESOME DRAKE MALLARD ALONE FROM A VARIETY OF ANGLES AND DISTANCES!!

      ABOVE PICTURE is Of ANOTHER PERDEW MASTERPIECE; A PREENING BLACK DUCK!!

THE ABOVE PICTURE is Of ANOTHER PERDEW MASTERPIECE; A VERY RARE AND ALMOST EXOTIC LOOKING BLUE-WINGED is 2 PICTURES of a RARE JACK SCHWARTZ Immature DRAKE BLUEBILL; PAINTED for SCHWARTZ By EDNA PERDEW!!

• Note the Beautiful Comb Paint By:  EDNA PERDEW; IT WAS THE SAME AS THIS MALLARD UP FOR sale!!