Southwest of New Orleans, along the Bayou LaFourch which empties into the Gulf of Mexico is Galliano, home to one of the most prominent families of Cajun carvers. The progenitor of this legendary carving family is the late Beauregard Julien Vizier (1848 – 1933) who made a living by trapping and fishing. He is known to have carved decoys for his own use in hunting to help feed his family of ten children.
Of Beauregard’s children, three sons, Beauregard (1908 – 1998), Clovis (1884 -1975) and Odee (1890 -1969) became well known carvers. Odde taught his son, Jimmie (1933 – 2010) to fashion hunting decoys just as his father, Beauregard Julien had passed on the tradition to him.
Vizier carvings are well anchored in the best tradition of hunting decoys. Jimmie was considered to be one of the finest contemporary carvers. Early Vizier decoys were largely made from cypress. Today, the choice of wood is tupelo. Jimmie and other descendants of Beauregard Julien possessed a keen eye for detail and natural body conformation in fashioning birds. Pintails, gadwalls, and black ducks which frequent the Bayou LaFourch are well represented among Vizier carvings.
For additional information
Decoys of the Mississippi Flyway, 1981 by Alan G. Haid.
Decoys – A North American Survey, 1983 by Gene and Linda Kangas.
Decoy Ducks, 1988 by Bob Ridges.
Decoy Magazine, May/June 1999.
The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys, 1990 by Joe Engers, Ed.
Louisiana Duck Decoys, 1978 by Charles W. Frank, Jr.