Among New Jersey decoy collectors and historians, the Inman family are remembered as carvers of working decoys commonly known as “dugout style” – a two piece hollow bodied bird, characterized by clean and simple lines. These somewhat smaller than life size decoys, made from local white swamp cedar, were well suited for the hunting boats designed for Barnegat Bay. Like a number of other regional carvers, the Inman’s weighted their decoys by cutting rectangular slots in the bottom which were filled with lead.
The progenitor of this family of productive New Jersey carvers was Aaron Inman (1799-1888), a fisherman, commercial duck hunter and sometime guide who initially carved for his own use. A son, Louis Inman (1829-1913) together with other family members were carvers of “sturdy working decoys” well into the 1930’s. The Inman’s are credited with a number of scaup, brant, black duck and red head decoys.
For additional information
Decoys – A North American Survey, 1983 by Gene and Lindy Kangas.
Decoys of the Mid-Atlantic Region, 1979 by Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr.
New Jersey Decoys, 1983 by Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr.
Working Decoys of the New Jersey Coast and Delaware River, 1985 by Kenneth L. Gosner.