The Old Mill: A Case of Mistaken Identity

In the March 1933 Catalogue of the Sixty-first Annual Exhibition of the Ontario Society of Artists, Exhibitions by Young Canadians, Page 7, Clara’s painting The Old Mill priced at $100.00 is listed. (See Provenance Section of Site). As one of Clara’s favourite sites to paint was the Humber River in the vicinity of the Old Mill, Toronto, I mistakenly assumed that the painting exhibited in 1933 was done in that area.

Adrian, a Burlington, Ontario collector proved me wrong.

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As the label on the back of the canvas reveals Clara exhibited this painting again in the Ontario Society of Artists, 63rd Annual Exhibition in 1935.

This scene was painted many times and although the Port Hope location wasn’t consistently documented it was a favourite of Clara’s. See Summer Section of Site, Yellow Buildings By Water, Port Hope.

Collectors Gallery Section, Clara’s Grandniece, Linda O. Greeting Card: 1932 Greetings from Fred and Clara Harris. Curator’s Blog, “Who Is Florence Wright and Why is She Important”? painting of The Old Mill in Port Hope and the back of the canvas with prints of the scene which match Clara’s 1932 greeting card.

It looks like The Old Mill in Port Hope is a favourite location of Adrian’s and Nico’s too! In Adrian’s words ‘It’s a Clara Christmas”!

Happy holidays.