Charles Harold Davis 

(1856-1933)

As scholarship continues to lend perspective and depth of understanding in American art (coupled with the relentless effort by dealers to unearth the next round of desirable artists) C. H. Davis has emerged as a gifted artist who bridged the gap between early Tonalism, fueled by exposure to French Barbizon teachings, and Impressionism. Davis painted with great skill in both schools. Although broadly lumped into the Old Lyme group, Davis was the first and best-known painter to establish himself in Mystic, Connecticut, in 1892, almost a decade before Old Lyme was discovered, along with the less-known David Walkley. This example, acquired in 2004, satisfies my desire for a Mystic image nicely blending building structures into the broader landscape and the quintessentially Connecticut stone fence.