Virtual Exhibition
ANTHONY ELMER CROWELL - WATERFOWL CARVER 1862-1952

A.E. Crowell was born and lived in the small Cape Cod town of East Harwich, Massachusetts. He is popularly regarded as one of the premier makers of waterfowl decoys and decorative bird carvings in North America. Crowell was a prolific artisan and very successful marketer of his wooden aviary. He was known to present gifts of his birds to prominent and influential people. In return, they placed orders for his best carvings. He also sold through sporting goods stores and to the many, many tourists visiting the Cape. In 2007, two of Crowells elegant life-size waterfowl sculptures brought in excess of one million dollars each in a private transaction. Elmer Crowells mantle birds, by design, were finished with a high level of detail compared to his functional hunting decoys. His ornamentals were deftly imbued with delicate features and visually exquisite plumage patterns, unnecessary for those lures destined for service on the water. Crowell decoratives are consistently high quality and represent his mastery of the art of waterfowl carving. He is recognized for his "wet on wet" blended painting technique, which helped create an illusion of realism and softness to each species portrayed. Thousands of miniatures to life-size birds were fashioned in that manner during a career spanning from approximately 1890 to 1943. The various birds illustrated in the Virtual Gallery originated between 1910 and 1940.