Mastic is located on the south shore of Long Island. In the early years of the 20th Century, the marsh and meadows of the area drew hunters looking for blackduck.
George Robert, an avid duck hunter, is credited by some as having produced the quintessential black duck stool. Made from natural cork with a keel and three links of chain for ballast, Robert’s wide, flat bottomed stools rode well in the rough waters on the south shore. To create a “soft velvety appearance” that simulated the appearance of a black duck at a distance, Robert burned his decoys with a blowtorch and hand rubbed them with water. He is also credited with a number of shorebird decoys carved from wood.
During his active years, Robert carved hundreds of decoys. He influenced a number of regional carvers including John H.B. Boyle (dates unknown) of Bellport, a member of the committee which put together the 1923 Bellport Decoy Show, considered the first “real” decoy show in America.
For additional information
“Recollections of the First Decoy Show” by Paul Wheelock Bigelow in Decoy Collectors Guide, 1963 – 1964 -1965, Hal Sorensen, Ed.