Oscar W. "Pelee" Peterson (November 14, 1887 – October 7, 1951)[1] was an American carver of fish decoys.
Oscar "Pelee" Peterson is among the best known and most widely imitated fish carvers.His works are the subject of the book - Michigan's Master Carver: Oscar W. Peterson, 1887-1951 by Ronald J. Fritz and can be found in the American Art Museum of the Smithsonian, the Brooklyn Museum and have also been seen in the following exhibits:.
[3] Oscar Peterson pieces show up in many places, one even appeared on the TV Show- Antiques Roadshow from Grand Rapids.
[4] Prices for Oscar Peterson's work are often very good, especially on his decorative carvings, with one plaque recently selling for as high as $100,000.
[6] Oscar Peterson was born November 14, 1887, to Swedish immigrant parents in Grayling, Michigan.
Oscar approached carving as a business and that is probably the reason for the huge numbers of art that he created.
[3] One of the reasons for the huge popularity of Oscar's decoys is that they were extremely good at attracting fish.
Although sold commercially previously, Peterson's work begins to become simpler and less ornate as his popularity rose.