Carolinas Club Brands will be listed here.. A-Z order

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PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF BRAND:

There are two Swan Island Club member brands on this decoy.  Both brands are burned.  The W. Minot Jr. brand is 1 7/8″ long x 3/16″ in height.  The J. Bryant brand is 3 3/4″ in length x 3/8″ in height.

BACKGROUND:

Sam Smith was a carver from the village of Amityville on Long Island, NY.  His decoys are characterized by their distinctive “hips.”  Decoy historians believe that these decoys made up the original rig of decoys at the Swan Island Club and date to the early 1870s.  There are other decoys that bear member brands from the Swan Island Club such as Holly family decoys from Havre de Grace, MD and Mason factory decoys.  William Minot, Jr. was a Boston lawyer and served as a trustee and treasurer when the Club was reorganized as the Swan Island Club in 1883.  He later served as President of the Club.  John Bryant was a Boston physician and friend of William Minot, Jr..  Decoys in the Swan Island rig were often passed on to other members, as in this case, when another member left the Club.

THIS BRAND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED ON THE FOLLOWING DECOYS:

REFERENCES/SOURCES:

Personal collection

INITIAL CONTRIBUTOR:

Kevin S. Peel

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS: