Tom Midgett (NC, 1865-1944), Rare Black Duck

Mashoes, North Carolina, circa 1890, carved and painted wood.

Length 17 in.

From the Personal Collection of Philip and Susan Harvey.

The quaint fishing village of Mashoes sits to the east of the remote body of water known as East Lake. Until the 1950s, the village was only accessible by water and was best known for its illegal corn whiskey trade. Tom Midgett received his primary education in a small one room school in Mashoes. He is credited for making a rig of now famous swan decoys.

Original paint worn to bare wood in places, large age check on the right side.