Beschreibung:

Unique Large Molded Copper Heron Weathervane, America, late 19th century, the flattened and molded full-body form with bill, legs and feet fashioned without molds from sheet copper, ht. 47 in., on a wooden stand. Provenance: From the former summer residence of Albert Henry Davenport, Squirrel Island, Maine; Skinner, February 23, 2003, Lot 70. Note: Albert Davenport was born in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1845. He made his fortune during the "American Renaissance" in the late 19th to early 20th century, from the designing and manufacturing of high quality interior woodwork, paneling, and furniture for customers in Europe and America. In 1902, he furnished more than 200 pieces of furniture for the White House restoration project for Theodore Roosevelt. He also produced furnishings for the royal palace of King Kalakaua of Hawaii. In 1886, Mr. Davenport and his wife Ella visited and became interested in the development of Squirrel Island, Maine. He installed a sewer system and built a library, and bought and developed several other properties on the island as well as building their own two houses, which were identical in construction and called "Tweedle Dee" and "Tweedle Dum." Mr. Davenport died in 1906; his widow and then his daughter remained in this house until the 1940s. The weathervane was mounted on the tower of "Tweedle Dum." Included in the lot is a photocopy of a page from a special "Squirrel Island Semi-Centennial" section from a 1921 Lewiston Journal Magazine . In it is the history of the development of the island and shows a photo of the weathervane on the house. Also included is a copy of pertinent pages from the July 2002 issue of the Squirrel Island Squid , with an article about the Davenports and the island, a copy of a photo of the weathervane during a roof renovation before it was removed from the tower, and a copy of a photo of a recent portrait painting of the house.