EARLY PREENING SCOTERAlbert Davids LaingEARLY PREENING SCOTERAlbert Davids Laing (1811-1886)
New York, NY, and Stratford, CT, c. 1850
14 in. long
A hollow, turned-head decoy by the father of the Stratford School. Laing, originally from New York City, is one of the earliest and most talented carvers in North America. The underside bears a large “LAING” rig brand and a Baldwin rig brand. This important rig has been referred to as the "early classic rig" and was also used by Charles E. "Shang" Wheeler. This decoy was the cover feature for the marker's "Decoy Magazine" article in 1995.
Laing has been revered for adding a lifelike quality to his rigs with a variety of head positions, such as this elegant sleeper. There is no evidence that Laing ever sold decoys commercially, and it is believed that at the time of his death the 111 decoys from his gunning rig constituted the majority of his entire output. According to Chitwood, Laing’s entire hunting rig was sold after his passing in 1886 for $45.
Old gunning paint with moderate wear, some touch-up, and partial bill restoration.
Provenance: Albert D. Laing Rig
Charles E. "Shang" Wheeler Rig
Private Collection
Literature: D. Webster & W. Kehoe, "Shelburne Museum Decoys," Shelburne, VT, 1961, p. 75, rigmate illustrated.
Henry C. Chitwood, "Connecticut Decoys," West Chester, PA, 1987, p. 65, Shelburne Museum rigmate illustrated.
Laurence Sheehan, "The Birding Life," New York, NY, 2011, p. 22, Donal O'Brien's rigmate illustrated.
Joe Engers, ed., "Albert D. Laing: A decoy maker unequaled in his time," Decoy Magazine, July/August 1995, front cover, p. 12, exact decoy illustrated.
135PCS ASSEMBLED AMERICAN SILVER "OLIVE"135PCS ASSEMBLED AMERICAN SILVER "OLIVE" FLATWARE Extensive 135 piece American sterling silver, coin, and plated assembled partial mainly ?Olive? pattern or similar pattern flatware service, various makers and retailers, mid to late 19th century comprising, Jones, Shreve, & Co. (Boston, MA, 1855-1860) five sterling silver forks (7.5"), seven coin silver forks (6.875") and one coin silver pastry fork (5.75"), Whiting Manufacturing Co. (North Attleboro, MA, 1866-1924) retailed by Zade & Co. (Mobile, AL 1886-1916) four sterling silver forks (7") and four tablespoons (8.25"), Smith & Chamberlin (Salem, MA, 1845-1867) four coin silver forks (7.25"), Newell Harding & Co. (Boston, MA, 1826-1851) five coin silver forks (7.25") and one spoon (6"), J.S. Thompkins (Mangor, ME, mid-19th century) three coin silver forks (7"), Ebed Whiton (Boston, MA, act. c. 1826-1870) or Elijah Whiton (Groton, MA, act.1820-1840) one likely William Gale & Son (New York, NY 1862-1866), one coin silver fork (7"), coin silver fork (7.5"), J.E. Caldwell & Co. (Philadelphia, PA, 1848-1992) one coin silver fork (7.25"), T.S. Baldwin retailer (Painesville, OH, 19th century), one coin silver pastry fork (6"), D.S. Stevens (American, c. 1859) four silver plate tablespoons (8.5"), American Sterling Co. (Naubuc, CT, 1871-1880) one silverplate spoon (7.25"), Newell Matson maker and retailer (New York, NY, Milwauke, WI and Chicago, IL, second half 19th century) five coin silver spoons (6"), Wilson Grew retailer (Cincinatti, OH, 19th century) four coin silver spoons (6.125"), James Eammons Spear (Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC, 1817-1871) one coin silver spoon (6"), Jones, Ball, & Poor (Boston, MA, 1846-1853) eleven coin silver spoons (6") and twelve coin silver knives (8"), Albert Coles & Co. maker and retailer (New York, NY, 1835-1877) eleven sterling silver or coin hollow handled knives (8.125"), Ball, Tompkins, and Black (New York, NY, 1839-1851) one sterling silver or coin hollow handled knife (7.75"), Wood & Hughes (New York, NY 1845-1850) eight coin silver knives (7.75") and one coin silver pie server, Farrington & Hunnewell (Boston, MA, 1835-1885) one coin silver pastry for (5.625"), one coin silver knife (7.5"), one coin silver shell serving spoon (8.75"), one sauce ladle (7.5"), one cream ladle (6.5"), and one mustard ladle/spoon with gold wash bowl (5.5"), Lincoln & Foss (Boston, MA, 1848-1957) one sterling silver shell cream ladle (6.25"), Farr & Thompson (Philadelphia, PA, mid-19th century) one coin silver shell punch ladle (13"), Canfield Brothers & Co. retailer (Baltimore, MD, act. 1850-1881) one coin silver soup ladle (9"), Ralph Strickland (Albany, NY, 1857-1880) one silver plate mustard ladle (5"), Amos Sanborn (Lowell, MA, 1848-1866) one coin silver sugar shell spoon (6.25"), William B. Durgin (Concord, NH, 1883-1905) one coin silver serving/tablespoon (9"), Jones, Ball, & Co. (Boston, MA, 1853-1857) two coin silver master salt spoons (4"), Rogers, Smith & Co. (Hartford, CT 1857-1904) one silver plate master salt spoon (3.625"), Bigelow Brothers & Kennard (Boston, MA, 1845-1863) one coin silver fish slice (11.25"), one coin silver master salt shovel (3.75"), and one coin silver master salt shell spoon (4"), Samuel T. Crosby retailer (Boston, MA, act. 1846-1876) one coin silver crumber (11.75") and one coin silver pie server (9.25"), Pear & Bacall (Boston, MA, 1848-1876) one coin silver cracker shell serving spoon (9"), Jones, Ball & Co. (Boston, MA, 1853-1855) one coin silver cold meat fork (8.5"), Palmer & Bachelder/Bachelders (Boston, MA, 1846-1888) one coin silver master butter knife (7.5"), A.F. Burbank & Co. retailer (Boston 1853-1867 and Worcester 1867-1880, MA) one coin silver master butter knife (7.5"), stamped "Coin" two coin silver butter knives (6.75"), stamped "Pure Coin" one coin silver pie server (9.25"), Rogers & Brothers (Waterbury, MA, 1858-1898) one silver plate nut pick (5"), unmarked six silver plate cut picks in case (5"), one silver plate serving/tablespoon (8"), one coin silver butter knife (6.75"), one silver plate butter knife (6.875"), and one silver plate pierced sugar sifter spoon (6"), various maker?s and finesse marks, together with a Wallace Silversmith (Wallingford, CT, 1879) dark mahogany four drawer standing flatware chest in the Queen Anne taste (h. 35.25", w. 17", d. 13.5".Total approx weight excluding hollow handled and plated items: sterling 21.86 ozt; coin 120.95 ozt.