Widgeon drake decoy by Robert McGaw (1879-1958) of Havre de Grace, Maryland. Circa 1930. Clean, dry, all original paint. Branded twice with Somers Headley brand and stamped with a Sam Dyke Collection stamp. Retains original dogbone weight. Excellent decoy for the serious upper bay collector.

Robert F. “Bob” McGaw was a pioneering decoy carver from Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the head of the Chesapeake Bay’s Susquehanna Flats. He began carving waterfowl decoys for local hunters and soon became one of the area’s most skilled and innovative craftsmen.

In 1929, McGaw introduced mechanization to the region’s carving tradition by purchasing a rifle-stock duplicating lathe, becoming the first Havre de Grace carver to use a machine to shape decoy bodies. This innovation allowed more consistent, higher-volume production while maintaining artistic quality and influenced later carvers—most notably R. Madison Mitchell, who later acquired McGaw’s lathe.

McGaw carved many duck species—especially canvasbacks, redheads, and black ducks—and later produced miniature and decorative models as well as working decoys. His painting style reflected the realistic traditions of earlier Chesapeake Bay makers like Sam Barnes and the Holly family.

His work became nationally recognized for its craftsmanship and historical importance: one of his canvasbacks was featured on a 1985 U.S. Postal Service folk-art stamp, and his decoys are now highly prized by collectors and museums, including the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum.

McGaw’s blend of artistry, innovation, and craftsmanship helped define the Havre de Grace school of decoy making, bridging the transition from purely functional hunting tools to collectible American folk art.