The Dorset House
Encyclopedia
The Dorset House is an exhibit building at Shelburne Museum
in Shelburne, Vermont
; it houses the museum's collection of 900 wildfowl decoys
.
In 1953, Shelburne Museum
purchased Dorset House, dismantled it, and reconstructed it on the Museum grounds to house the collection of decoys, punt gun
s, and prints of sporting scenes.
’s 1797 pattern book The Country Builder’s Companion. Vernacular Greek Revival architecture developed across the United States as local builders combined classical elements with local traditions creating distinct regional characteristics within the style.
Allen built Dorset House for his children, Florenze and Lucia. Allen’s interpretation of the Greek Revival resulted in Dorset House’s substantial yet unpretentious silhouette. He designed the house with mirroring wings so that his children and their families would have separate living quarters that they could access through individual doors. In combining the two cross-gabled flanking wings with the massive corniced façade, Allen achieved the classical balance and symmetry characteristic of the Greek Revival style.
Allen, and later his son Florenze, was proprietor of an iron foundry that produced stove plates, plow points, and kettles. Subsequently, unlike most homes of the era, Allen designed Dorset House without open hearths and used closed iron stoves to heat the building instead.
s, made to lure game birds to within shooting range, have been used by American hunters for centuries. Native Americans originated the idea over a thousand years ago in response to the abundance of the continent’s wild game. The earliest decoys made by white settlers were probably carved in the late 18th century. The idea spread rapidly and by 1840 the wooden decoy
was firmly established in American hunting traditions.
Following the American Civil War
, improved transpiration systems, more advanced weapons, and abundant game combined to crate what has been called the greatest wildfowl hunt in history of the world. Professional market gunners worked in most areas supplying game to meet intense public demand. Well-made decoys were among the tools most vital to their trade. To meet the needs of the market gunners and the many well-to-do sportsmen who traveled from the cities to shoot birds, scores of craftsmen turned to decoy-making full time. Just before 1900, such firms as mason’s decoy factory of Detroit, which employed a number of carvers working from the same patterns, offered decoys by mail order. Federal conservation legislation brought the market-gunning era to an end just after World War I
. However, sportsmen continued to hunt over wooden decoys until after World War II
, when inexpensive molded plastic
decoys took over the marketplace.
Shelburne Museum
’s collection of nearly nine hundred working decoys, housed in Dorset House, is the finest and most comprehensive public collection in the world. It contains superb examples by master craftsmen from all over North America, including an Elmer Crowell- whose wide variety of working decoys, decorative carvings and miniatures prove him to be the most versatile of the old-time masters- and such well kjnown carvers as Bill Bowman
, Lee Dudley, Nathan Cobb
, Lem Ward, Steve Ward
, Joseph Lincoln, Albert Laing, Shang Wheeler, George Warin and John Blair
. There is also a small collection of fish decoys, used by ice fishermen to lure pike, muskellunge and other predators within spearing range.
Every major hunting area in North America produced decoys. Differences in hunting methods and water conditions affected local decoy-making traditions, and dozens of regional variations developed. Exhibits in the Dorset House are arranged by region to allow easy comparison of the treatment of like species by carvers from different regions and more subtly within regions. Maine
decoys, for example as seen in the work of Gus Wilson
, are typically solid-bodied with wide, flat bottoms and simple paint patterns. By contrast Illinois
decoys such as those made by Robert and Catherine Elliston, are hollow-bodied with rounded bottoms and elaborately detailed paint. Other regional styles, including those of Louisiana
, Virginia
, the Chesapeake Bay
, New Jersey
, Long Island
, Connecticut
, Quebec
and Ontario
are equally distinctive.
In addition to decoys, many carvers also crafted miniatures and decorative birds. Elmer Crowell of Cape Cod
was a pioneer in these areas. He offered his customers what he called a “songless aviary,” producing miniature songbird
s, shorebirds, and duck
s insets of twenty-five species and also creating many life-sized decorative carvings of birds and fish. A wide variety of Crowell’s work, including a heron
used as a garden ornament, several wall-mounted flying birds and nearly a hundred miniatures, is exhibited in the Dorset House. Miniatures and decorative carvings by such other masters as Lem Ward, A.J. King and Harold Haertel are also on exhibit.
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
in Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne is a town in southwestern Chittenden County, Vermont, United States, along the shores of Lake Champlain. The population was 7,144 at the 2010 census.-History:...
; it houses the museum's collection of 900 wildfowl decoys
Duck decoy (model)
A duck decoy is a man-made object resembling a real duck. Duck decoys are sometimes used in duck hunting to attract real ducks.Duck decoys were historically carved from wood, but more recently are also made of plastic...
.
In 1953, Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
purchased Dorset House, dismantled it, and reconstructed it on the Museum grounds to house the collection of decoys, punt gun
Punt gun
A punt gun is a type of extremely large shotgun used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations and private sport. Punt guns were usually custom-designed and so varied widely, but could have bore diameters exceeding and fire...
s, and prints of sporting scenes.
History
Welcome Allen built Dorset House about 1832 in East Dorset, Vermont. Like many houses of its period, it reflects the popularity of Greek Revival architecture, which gained prominence in the United States during the second quarter of the 19th century. While classical design motifs had predominated in American architecture from the late 18th century, by the 19th century American architects began to draw inspiration specifically from Grecian temples. Often considered the first national style, Greek Revival architecture became so pervasive in the United States in part because regional architects could access the classical idiom through publications such as Stuart & Revett’s Antiquities of Athens and Asher BenjaminAsher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
’s 1797 pattern book The Country Builder’s Companion. Vernacular Greek Revival architecture developed across the United States as local builders combined classical elements with local traditions creating distinct regional characteristics within the style.
Allen built Dorset House for his children, Florenze and Lucia. Allen’s interpretation of the Greek Revival resulted in Dorset House’s substantial yet unpretentious silhouette. He designed the house with mirroring wings so that his children and their families would have separate living quarters that they could access through individual doors. In combining the two cross-gabled flanking wings with the massive corniced façade, Allen achieved the classical balance and symmetry characteristic of the Greek Revival style.
Allen, and later his son Florenze, was proprietor of an iron foundry that produced stove plates, plow points, and kettles. Subsequently, unlike most homes of the era, Allen designed Dorset House without open hearths and used closed iron stoves to heat the building instead.
Decoys
Wildfowl decoyDecoy
A decoy is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction, to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.-Duck decoy:The term duck decoy may...
s, made to lure game birds to within shooting range, have been used by American hunters for centuries. Native Americans originated the idea over a thousand years ago in response to the abundance of the continent’s wild game. The earliest decoys made by white settlers were probably carved in the late 18th century. The idea spread rapidly and by 1840 the wooden decoy
Decoy
A decoy is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction, to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.-Duck decoy:The term duck decoy may...
was firmly established in American hunting traditions.
Following the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, improved transpiration systems, more advanced weapons, and abundant game combined to crate what has been called the greatest wildfowl hunt in history of the world. Professional market gunners worked in most areas supplying game to meet intense public demand. Well-made decoys were among the tools most vital to their trade. To meet the needs of the market gunners and the many well-to-do sportsmen who traveled from the cities to shoot birds, scores of craftsmen turned to decoy-making full time. Just before 1900, such firms as mason’s decoy factory of Detroit, which employed a number of carvers working from the same patterns, offered decoys by mail order. Federal conservation legislation brought the market-gunning era to an end just after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. However, sportsmen continued to hunt over wooden decoys until after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when inexpensive molded plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
decoys took over the marketplace.
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
’s collection of nearly nine hundred working decoys, housed in Dorset House, is the finest and most comprehensive public collection in the world. It contains superb examples by master craftsmen from all over North America, including an Elmer Crowell- whose wide variety of working decoys, decorative carvings and miniatures prove him to be the most versatile of the old-time masters- and such well kjnown carvers as Bill Bowman
Bill Bowman
William George Bowman was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Colts in 1891. Bowman appeared in 15 games for the Colts, batting just .089 with one double and five RBI. He died on April 6, 1918 in Arlington Heights, IL.-References:*...
, Lee Dudley, Nathan Cobb
Nathan Cobb
Nathan Augustus Cobb is known as "the father of nematology in the United States".He provided the foundations for nematode taxonomy and described over 1000 different nematode species...
, Lem Ward, Steve Ward
Steve Ward
Steve Ward may refer to:* Steve Ward , the former CEO of Lenovo* Steve Ward , the American politician* Steve Ward , Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman...
, Joseph Lincoln, Albert Laing, Shang Wheeler, George Warin and John Blair
John Blair
John Blair, Jr. was an American politician, Founding Father and jurist.Blair was one of the best-trained jurists of his day. A famous legal scholar, he avoided the tumult of state politics, preferring to work behind the scenes...
. There is also a small collection of fish decoys, used by ice fishermen to lure pike, muskellunge and other predators within spearing range.
Every major hunting area in North America produced decoys. Differences in hunting methods and water conditions affected local decoy-making traditions, and dozens of regional variations developed. Exhibits in the Dorset House are arranged by region to allow easy comparison of the treatment of like species by carvers from different regions and more subtly within regions. Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
decoys, for example as seen in the work of Gus Wilson
Gus Wilson
Eugene "Gus" Wilson was an English professional football player during the early 1990s, and is now a football coach with extensive experience in the non-league game across north-west England....
, are typically solid-bodied with wide, flat bottoms and simple paint patterns. By contrast Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
decoys such as those made by Robert and Catherine Elliston, are hollow-bodied with rounded bottoms and elaborately detailed paint. Other regional styles, including those of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
are equally distinctive.
In addition to decoys, many carvers also crafted miniatures and decorative birds. Elmer Crowell of Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
was a pioneer in these areas. He offered his customers what he called a “songless aviary,” producing miniature songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s, shorebirds, and duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s insets of twenty-five species and also creating many life-sized decorative carvings of birds and fish. A wide variety of Crowell’s work, including a heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
used as a garden ornament, several wall-mounted flying birds and nearly a hundred miniatures, is exhibited in the Dorset House. Miniatures and decorative carvings by such other masters as Lem Ward, A.J. King and Harold Haertel are also on exhibit.
See also
- Shelburne MuseumShelburne MuseumShelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
- Nicholas RevettNicholas RevettNicholas Revett was a Suffolk gentleman and amateur architect and artist.He is best known for his famous work with James Stuart documenting the ruins of ancient Athens. Its illustrations compose 5 folio volumes and include 368 etched and engraved plates, plans and maps drawn at scale...
- James Stuart (1713-1788)James Stuart (1713-1788)James "Athenian" Stuart was an English archaeologist, architect and artist best known for his central role in pioneering Neoclassicism.-Early life:...
- Waterfowl decoy collecting