Legendary Decoy Carvers of Illinois: Charlie & Edna Perdew
An animation for the Center for American Decoys at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
For this project I got to dive into the history of an American folk art tradition: handcrafted decoys for waterfowl hunting. The practice of creating decoys to lure in birds dates back to the Native Americans, who used mud and sticks to form their ducks, geese, and shorebirds. When European settlers began to arrive in the area they desired a more sturdy and longer-lasting decoy, and thus the wooden decoy was invented.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century the Illinois River valley would become home to many hunters who hunted for sustenance, for sport, and - with the construction of railroads to growing urban areas St Louis and Chicago - for a career. As the need for decoys increased many woodworkers would begin to make a living selling to hunters. After a while it became apparent that the craftmanship of these decoys was outpacing their usefulness in the field. It turns out that ducks are not too picky about how the decoy looks, as long as it vaguely resembles a bird. So decoy makers became more focused on luring hunters to buy their decoys, rather than luring ducks to the water, and the folk art tradition of artistic decoys was born.
One of the most legendary decoy carvers was Charlie Perdew of Henry, Illinois. Together with his wife Edna he created some of the most iconic and valuable decoys of all time. Charlie would carve incredibly lifelike decoys and hand them over to his equally artistic wife Edna to paint them. Together they lived a simple life in their hand-built home and workshop overlooking the Illinois River. Like most carvers of the era, they were poor, yet the Perdews managed to produce some of the finest work of decoy-making in the country. Since the relatively recent field of decoy collecting has emerged, the remaining decoys have appropriately been recognized as folk art and their value has soared. In 2007 a mallard hen by the Perdews sold for $252,000.
When I was hired for this project I was given free rein to explore the world of decoy carving and find a story that would translate well to an animation. Charlie and Edna's story jumped out at me because of their unique partnership, incredible decoys in the museum's collection, and the fact that their home was close to where I live. In the early stages of research I travelled to Henry, Illinois to visit the home and workshop of the Perdews, which are maintained by the Charles Perdew Museum.
After learning much about the Perdews from my trip to Henry, I sat down to whittle all the details into a short animation that could represent their story. Artistically, I put a lot of focus into background illustration, character design, and texturing to produce one of my most refined animations yet. I also decided to collaborate with my girlfriend, Hannah Stiff, to create the house and workshop exterior designs. When we started to work together it was apparent how we were paralleling the Perdews, as a couple working together on a piece of art.
This piece was created for display in the Center For American Decoys at the Peoria Riverfront Museum and is best viewed in that environment. Plan your visit to the only multidisciplinary museum of its kind in the nation at the Peoria Riverfront Museum's website!
Lastly, I must mention that the Perdews' home in Henry is in need of repair. When I visited I was not able to step into the house because one of the front porch pillars is unstable. The Charles Perdew Museum is raising money to fix this area soon, to prevent the entire historic home from collapsing. If you would like to donate, you can contact them at info@charlesperdew.com.