Havre de Grace, Maryland, circa 1950s, carved and painted wood.

Length 15.5 in.

Gibson was born into the Havre de Grace waterfowling community and learned his skills gunning on the Susquehanna Flats as a young boy. At the age of 13, he carved his first decoy, a miniature canvasback. As a serious woodworker, he took pride in his hand-chopped bodies, carved heads, and painted bodies signing his work Paul Gibson Havre de Grace MD., Maker and Painter. This is an early working example.

Old gunning paint with moderate wear, chip to left side of the bill.