Minnesota


William Faue / Wright County, Minnesota
Decoy of carved, painted wood with painted eyes and metal fins. L10.25" c.1930-1950

While the output of Minnesota can be described as diverse, certain similarities seem to apply to the state as a whole. Minnesota fish tend to be in the 4" -10" range and are generally painted in brighter, contrastier colors than fish decoys from surrounding states.

This is explained by the fact that the water in Minnesota's lakes tends to be darker, with a higher concentration of dissolved solids, than in other areas of the upper Midwest. Subsequently the decoys needed brighter colors and stronger patterning to attract fish below the ice.

Otto Faue / Wright County, Minnesota
Northern Pike Decoy
Carved, painted wood with painted eyes and metal fins. L10.25" c.1920-1954

Minnesota fish decoys appear in great numbers of size and types and more factories for mass-producing them were located in Minnnesota than other states.

Minnesota is also noteworthy for producing more "critter" fish decoys than any other state. These are usually small decoys resembling frogs, mice, tadpoles, beaver and the like and are very popular with collectors of both decoys and American Folk Art.

While the best decoys of Minnesota may not compare wth the great works of Michigan, they are, as a rule, very appealing and may provide a good entry point for the new collector. Auction prices for the best of the pieces, such as the Faue decoys shown at the top of this page, are setting new records and advancing the market at each successive sale and auction.