Thomas Mitchell 

(1875-1941) 

On occasion it’s a worthwhile experience to acquire a painting for absolutely no other reason than its quality and the fact that you really like it, with no concern over who painted it. I had never heard of Thomas Mitchell, but I really felt that this painting was of exceptional quality. Subsequent research revealed he was primarily a Rochester, New York, artist, highly regarded and very active in local art groups, exhibiting often and winning prizes. He does have ties with Charles Gruppé and is mentioned frequently in R. H. Love’s magnum opus on Carl Peters, but with little substantive information. I believe this image was painted on Cape Ann, which he visited with some frequency and where he was a member of the Gloucester Society of Artists. I obtained this piece from Trotter Gallery in Carmel, California, in 2001. Besides, as I note elsewhere, I do like laundry paintings.