Walter J. Lowry, a La Crosse, Wisconsin Carver

It has been said that Wisconsin did not have a decoy carver that compared with the best carvers from along the Illinois River in Illinois! Well, Walter J. Lowry may just be that carver!

Walter Lowry was born in Creston, Iowa in 1878. He attended law school in Illinois and later settled in La Crosse, Wisconsin where he began his career in banking. He worked his way up from bank messenger to teller to bank president. Walter was a quiet, unassuming gentleman who was also an accomplished taxidermist, gunstock maker and decoy maker. He made decoys for over 25 years, as he loved the outdoors and enjoyed duck hunting. He carved mainly mallards, but also made pintail and black duck, as well as some teal and widgeon.

Walter painted his decoys with artist tube oil mixed with varnish, which he blended to precision. It has been reported that Mr. Lowry was color blind, but you wouldn’t know it from his painting! Before he painted his decoys, he soaked the decoys in linseed oil, then primed the block with linseed oil and white lead. Most of his decoys have stood the test of time and are beautiful examples of floating art. There is very little wear or flaking of his paint. Many of his decoys were scratch painted with a stick to outline individual feathers.

All of Lowry’s decoys were hollowed by gouging out the center and attaching a half inch bottom board. The heads were attached from the inside with a long brass screw. Walter signed the inside of each board before it was attached to the decoy bottom with small hand-cut nails. It has been told that this process helped him keep track of lost or stolen decoys. I certainly would not recommend however, taking apart one of his decoys now to confirm his as the carver… his decoys are quite valuable.

Many of Lowry’s decoys have been misidentified as a famed Charles “Shang” Wheeler original from the eastern seaboard. But, after a close review (which did result in removal of the bottom board) it was confirmed to be a Lowry. Walter’s family has confirmed that Shang Wheeler did influence his carving style later in life. As it ends up, other La Crosse carvers were also influenced by Lowry’s style! Perhaps Walter Lowry should be known as Wisconsin’s Shang Wheeler? Either way, Walter’s Decoys are very worthy of a place in the annals of Wisconsin carving history!

Walter passed away in 1966 at the age of 88.  Lowry’s decoys are highly collectible and have been sold on the auction market for hundreds of dollars. And… most examples still have excellent original paint.