Frank Kellum was known to be a house painter and carpenter on Long Island. However, it was his talent as a decoy carver and guide on the Great South Bay of Long Island for which he is remembered. Prominent members of the Wa-Wa-Yanda Hunt Club (1878 -c. 1930’s) on Captree Island employed his skills for a number of years. Several club members were so impressed with Kellum’s artistry that they sent him to New York City for professional art training. The experience was short lived and Kellum returned to the Great South Bay where he continued to carve and paint decoys as he saw fit. A carver of exceptional skill, Kellum made both snipe and duck decoys of very high quality. He is considered among one of the finest regional carvers.
For additional information
American Bird Decoys, 1965 by William Mackey The Art of the Decoy, 1965 by Adele Earnest.
The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys, 1990 by Joe Engers, Ed.
Gunners Paradise: Wildfowling and Decoys on Long Island, 1979 by Jane E. Townsend.
Wild Fowl Decoys, 1934 by Joel Barber.