John H. Baker (1916 • 2004) Edgely, Pennsylvania

John Baker is believed to have been born in Clifton, New Jersey. In 1933, his family and he moved to Edgely. He is known to have worked for the Paterson Parchment and Paper Company in Bristol from which he retired in 1975.
 

In 1936, he reportedly made a rig of 18 black ducks, which he hunted over along the Delaware River. It is understood that he carved no additional decoys until 1975 when he sold the remaining ducks and resumed carving. He is credited with approximately 75 black duck, mallard, teal and pintail decoys. His birds tend to be larger than life and presumably reflect the influence of John King (1909 - 1980), a carver who lived in Edgely known for his fUlly rounded, well painted black duck decoys. This carver is not the "Joe King" (1835 - 1913), a carver in Parkertown, New Jersey.
 

Baker's early decoys are hollow made in two pieces, nicely rounded and well formed. The primaries join over the tail in typical "Delaware style". Tail feathers are grooved. He is known to have constructed his own hunting boats or "skulls".
 

For additional information see:
Decoy MagaZine, Nov.! Dec. 1989
Decoys of the Mid-Atlantic Region, 1979 by Henry A. Fleckenstein New Jersey Decoys, 1983 by Henry A. Fleckenstein
Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Delaware Valley, 1985 by Kenneth L. Gosner