Folk Art Month: Jeff Kieny's Favorite Folk Art Lures, Part 2

June is Folk Art Lure Month Continues! Thanks to everyone who sent in folk art, we'll feature them in a couple of weeks….

In honor of Jeff Kieny's forthcoming Folk Art Lure book (look for a review in just one week right here), I asked Jeff if he would pick out some items from his book that he really loved.



Here is part two of his choices.

Hammered Musky Beaded Spoon: This great lure is ca. 1920’s – 3-1/4”x2” hand cut, formed and hammered metal alloy spoon with a series of precisely cut openings along its centerline to receive and ‘seat’ 5 fancy glass beads.  Attached wire leader and hand-tied, rear feathered treble hook. 


Triple Jointed Surface Darter: This 5” carved, painted and varnished wood ca. 1920’s – 1930’s lure has pearl eyes, screw eye hardware all around, and body side segments that are sandwiched around flexible canvas which does double duty as joint material.  A beautifully crafted and painted lure!



Celluloid Shrimp: This attractive beauty is 3-3/4”, hand-cut formed and sewn, multi-segment celluloid body, built around a fibrous wrapped, served wire single hook ca. 1920’s – 1930’s.


Pardee/Manco Type Underwater Minnow: Wow! It is 3-7/8” shaped, painted and varnished wood ca. 1900’s.  With string-tied side hooks and 3 horizontally-mounted belly weights, this early minnow may arguably be the finest ‘copycat’ bait out there.  The hand-made, hat-shaped aluminum front and rear props are cupped and bear stampings which, among other things, imply their origin as an Ohio-based, carriage manufacturing company.  Body is wedge shaped.  Both the cupping of the props and the side mounted belly weights require substantially greater build efforts than the factory examples.



Wow is right! Thanks, Jeff. We'll take a closer look at his book next week then have a folk art fiesta in a couple of weeks! Keep sending in your folk art photos!

-- Dr. Todd