Skip to content
The Historic New Orleans Collection
A realistic statue of an osprey with detailed brown and white feathers, perched on a tree stump base. The ospreys beak is open, and it stands against a neutral gray background.

Birds of a Feather

Wildfowl Carving in Southeast Louisiana

Whether considered as discrete objects or transmitters of a larger folkloric tradition, decoys transcend their material essence. They offer paths to exploring Louisiana’s unique individuals, communities, and cultures.

Birds of a Feather offers an introduction to the art and history of an important Louisiana tradition. Part 1, “Early Working Decoys,” features the utilitarian yet artistic expressions created in seven geographic areas of Louisiana from the mid-nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries. Part 2, “Contemporary Carvings,” traces the evolution of decoy carving from a folk art to a competitive art and features decoys by some of today’s most celebrated decorative carvers, including Jimmie Vizier and Tan and Jett Brunet. This catalog accompanied a 2007–8 exhibition at the Historic New Orleans Collection.

Two carved wooden ducks are displayed on a blue background beneath text reading Birds of a Feather: Wildfowl Carving in Southeast Louisiana, with exhibition dates and location at the bottom.

Birds of a Feather: Wildfowl Carving in Southeast Louisiana

A detailed wooden carving of a duck against a light blue background, showcasing realistic textures and colors with a glossy brown head, white neck, and intricately painted wings in shades of gray, brown, and green.
A detailed, intricately carved duck decoy with a blue bill, black head, and reddish-brown body is set against an orange background. Its tail feathers are raised, showcasing craftsmanship.

Related Exhibitions

View More

Related Stories

View More
First Draft

From the Sky, There’s No Denying Louisiana’s Disappearing Coastline

First Draft

How “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Charmed the Film World

Related Collection Highlights

View More
Flood State 048, 2017, photogravure on Japanese kozo paper by Jennifer Shaw.

Flood State

Artist Jennifer Shaw evokes the specter of climate disaster in this photographic series.

A tintype photo shows Caliste Martinez Fucich and S. M. Fucich seated next to each other.

Fucich Family Papers 

In 1867, Sam Fucich immigrated from Croatia to south Louisiana. His seafood business helped grow the industry. 

A view from above of a faded white model of a space shuttle, connected to its large fuel tank and rocket boosters . The model is "blank" without details on any features except for the rocket nozzles and is set against a black background.

Space Shuttle Model

A model rocket serves as a memento of New Orleans’s role in US space exploration.

Related Virtual Exhibitions

View More
Virtual exhibitions

Enigmatic Stream: Industrial Landscapes of the Lower Mississippi River

Related Books

View More
Cover of Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835 by The Historic New Orleans Collection. Features ornate wooden furniture detail with decorative patterns and tassel-like designs.

Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835

by Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, and Cybèle T. Gontar, with Brian J. Costello and Francis J. Puig
edited by Jessica Dorman and Sarah R. Doerries

A black and white book cover titled Enigmatic Stream by Richard Sexton, featuring a glowing industrial facility with smoke against a night sky. Text mentions essays by Paul Schneider and John H. Lawrence, focusing on the Lower Mississippi River.

Enigmatic Stream: Industrial Landscapes of the Lower Mississippi River

by Richard Sexton
with essays by Paul Schneider and John H. Lawrence

Stay Connected

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

2015 0364 51 o6