Harvey J Lewis

A Legacy Preserved Harvey J Lewis

Louisiana is widely known for its wildfowl hunting, a pervasive part of its heritage and culture. Alongside that hunting tradition there has also developed an artistic legacy carried on by Louisiana’s wildfowl decoy carvers. Though their work dates back more than one hundred years, their artistic significance was not recognized until the 1970s and 1980s, when most of the state’s “old master carvers” had died or stopped carving. Fortunately, many of those old masters passed on their wildfowl artistry to a new generation that has since carried on the decoy carving tradition with honor and distinction. Unfortunately, this group has done so largely without the recognition it rightfully deserves. Even decorative carvers who have achieved national prominence by winning state and national competitions have received little or no local press coverage. This book aims to change that.