The Ward Brothers, Lemuel T. Ward (1897–1984) and Steven W. Ward (1895–1976), were two brothers from
Crisfield, Maryland, who became famous for their wooden
wildfowl carvings, commonly called decoys. Their decoys are highly prized by collectors. Few examples of their work survive on the open market, as private collectors and museums now own most of their original works. In November 2006, a Ward Brothers
goldeneye drake decoy sold for US$109,250 at an
Easton, Maryland
Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,945 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population in 2019 of 16,671. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary ...
waterfowl festival auction. They adopted the moniker 'Wildfowl Counterfeiters in Wood' as the motto for their carving operation.
Another rare Ward Brothers bird, a Broadbill Drake made in 1936, was sold for $51,750 at a January 2013 auction on Park Avenue in New York City.
Originally barbers by trade, they began carving small decoys from cedar blocks in their barber shop during slow times and to help make extra money during the winter months.
Legacy
The
Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art
The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art is located at 909 South Schumaker Drive, Salisbury, Maryland, United States. This museum has the most comprehensive collection of wildfowl carvings in the world, ranging from art sculptures to working decoys used ...
in
Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Shore of Maryland, the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 United ...
, which opened in 1992, is named in the Ward brothers' honor. The museum houses the largest collection of wildfowl art in the world.
References
External links
Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art
American woodcarvers
Sculptors from Maryland
People from Crisfield, Maryland
Brother duos
20th-century American sculptors
20th-century American male artists
American male sculptors
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