Arthur Roy Mitchell

Arthur Roy Mitchell
Born(1889-12-18)December 18, 1889
Near Trinidad, Colorado, U.S.
DiedNovember 15, 1977(1977-11-15) (aged 87)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Other namesA. R. Mitchell
Roy Mitchell
EducationGrand Central School of Art
Occupation(s)Artist, education, museum curator, art director
Known forArtwork for the covers of Western pulp magazines and creator of the centennial emblem for Colorado
The "Rush to the Rockies" emblem for the anniversary of the 1859 Colorado gold rush

Arthur Roy (A. R.[1]) Mitchell (December 18, 1889 – November 15, 1977) was an American painter, illustrator, art teacher, historian and preservationist, best known for his paintings and illustrations that were often featured on the covers of the western pulp novels and magazines.

He designed the centennial emblem for Colorado and for the anniversary of the 1859 Colorado gold rush, he created the "Rush to the Rockies" emblem. Among his awards, he was inducted into the National Academy of Western Art at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

Mitchell helped establish both the Baca House and Bloom Mansion as historic sites and are now both parts of the Trinidad History Museum. He was the curator and was the historian of the Trinidad Historic District until 1975. In 1962, Mitchell received the community's Outstanding Service Award for his contributions to the museums.

Early life and career

Mitchell was born on December 18, 1889[2][3] near Trinidad, Colorado to Tipton D. and Bessie A. Mitchell. He had two sisters, Hattie and Ethel "Tot" Mitchell-Erickson. He was the middle child between Hattie and Tot. After several years, the family moved to Trinidad proper, residing four blocks from the Old Santa Fe Trail.[1]

Mitchell went to New Mexico Territory (1850–1912) to work as a ranch hand in 1907.[4] He worked for the Adams Cattle Company at the Vermejo Park Ranch.[5] In 1912, he worked as advertising and circulation manager at the Trinidad Chronicle News.[6] He worked as an artist[5] and drew political cartoons for newspapers.[2] In 1913, he began working for an advertising agency in Boise, Idaho.[7] He sold advertising for a Walla Walla, Washington newspaper.[5]

Mitchell served during World War I (1914–1918),[2] having enlisted in March 1918 in Walla Walla, Washington. He was a member of the 166th Depot Brigade of the Regular Army National Guard Enlisted Reserve Corps Regiment.[8] Mitchell was discharged on November 30, 1918, after the end of the war.[9] In 1919, he started working for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.[5]

Education

In the fall of 1925, Mitchell followed friend and fellow artist Harold von Schmidt[7] to New York City to study at the Grand Central School of Art under teacher Harvey Dunn.[5] There, Dunn, von Schmidt, and Mitchell became lifelong friends. The three frequently traveled to Trinidad to paint the surrounding area.[7] In 1927, Dunn decided to move his classes to his personal studio in Leonia, New Jersey and Mitchell followed him there.[1][5]

Career

Artist

In 1927, Mitchell sold the first of his paintings to publishers for use as covers for the western pulp magazines Northwest Stories and Cowboy Stories.[1][7][10] His paintings were used on covers of Wild West Weekly, All Western, and Popular Western.[7] In 1935, Mitchell started creating artwork for book covers, including that of The Spur of Time, The End of Black Jack, and The Spider Web Trail for the publishing house Houghton Mifflin Company.[7][10] He collected items that a cowboy would use, like saddles, camp coffee pots, Indian blankets, and pottery for his works of art.[5] He depicted the lives of cowboys, cowgirls, and Native Americans in the prairies and plains of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. His portrayed battles of Native Americans, people traveling along the Santa Fe Trail, with images of notable western men like Kit Carson and Billy the Kid.[5] By the 1940s, Mitchell sold over 160 paintings that were used as cover art for pulp books and magazines.[2][5] His was called "The King of Western Pulp."[5]

Mitchell produced numerous landscape paintings, often pulling the car over while driving to paint en plein air.[5] In the early 1940s, Mitchell moved back to Trinidad, Colorado. Mitchell continued painting while there, with many of the paintings depicting the surrounding area of Stonewall Gap.[7]

He designed the centennial emblem for Colorado[11] and for the anniversary of the 1859 Colorado gold rush, he created the "Rush to the Rockies" emblem.[4] Governor Stephen McNichols announced the selection of the emblem to be used on souveniors and promotional items approved by the Centennial Commission.[12]

Educator

Mitchell taught at Trinidad State Junior College, where he started the first art class in 1945 and continued to teach there in 1958.[2][5] While there, he taught several notable students, including Paul Milosevich.[13] During the summer of 1948, he taught art at the Western State College in Gunnison.[14]

Museum co-founder and director

Mitchell helped establish both the Baca House[15] and Bloom Mansion[16] as historic sites and are now both parts of the Trinidad History Museum.[17] Baca House is associated with the Historic Resources of the Santa Fe Trail, 1821–1880.[18] In 1955, Mitchell and some friends purchased the Baca House to prevent it from being torn down. They were able to turn it into a museum, with the stipulation that Mitchell would be the curator. He held that position and was the historian of the Trinidad Historic District until 1975. Some of Mitchell's works are among the Baca House collection.[2] In 1962, Mitchell received the community's Outstanding Service Award for his "foresight and leadership in the preservation and restoration of two historically and architecturally important landmarks in Trinidad."[16]

Awards and honors

Mitchell was recognized in the following ways,[5]

Personal life and death

Mitchell never married. New Legends Magazine stated that, "his work was his one true love."[5] He moved to Denver in 1975 to be close to his sister, Tot. In Denver, he continued to paint until his death[5] on November 15, 1977.[11] He is buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Trinidad, Colorado.

A.R. Mitchell Western Art Museum

A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art

Following Mitchell's death, his sister, Ethel "Tot" Mitchell-Erickson, decided to donate her and her brother's western art and historical memorabilia collection to a museum. In 1981, the A.R. Mitchell Western Art Museum was established.[5][19] The museum's collection has over 350 artworks and thousands of sketches created by Mitchell, as well as works by his contemporaries like Harvey Dunn and Harold von Schmidt, and various western and south western historical objects.[5][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "A. R. Mitchell". www.pulpartists.com. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Obituary for Arthur Roy Mitchell". Fort Collins Coloradoan. November 16, 1977. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  3. ^ Rundback, Barbara (2013-12-18). "December 18". The Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies. Retrieved 2023-05-10. On this day, December 18, 1889, artist and illustrator Arthur Roy Mitchell was born in Trinidad City, Colorado.
  4. ^ a b "Arthur Roy Mitchell, Artist". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). Melville, New York. November 16, 1977. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "A.R. Mitchell Painted Life As He Really Saw It". New Legends Magazine. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  6. ^ "A. R. Mitchell New Circulator for the Chronicle-News". The Chronicle-News. January 31, 1912. Retrieved 2023-05-10 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Arthur Roy Mitchell Biography". A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  8. ^ "Arthur R Mitchell", Military Records. Olympia Washington, USA, Washington State Archives
  9. ^ "Arthur Roy Mitchell", Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917 - 9/16/1940. NAI 76193916. Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007., St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri: National Archives
  10. ^ a b c "Art Gallery: A.R. Mitchell". Cowboys and Indians Magazine. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  11. ^ a b "Obituary for Arthur Roy Mitchell". Daily News. New York. November 17, 1977. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  12. ^ "Colorado's "Rush to the Rockies" Centennial 1859 1959". Saguache Crescent. June 26, 1958. Retrieved 2023-05-10 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  13. ^ "The Exhibit and Events Schedule for the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art in Trinidad, Colorado available at www.armitchellmuseum.com visitors to the Southern Colorado area and historic Santa Fe Trail". A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  14. ^ "WSC Summer Faculty Announced". Top O' The World - WCU. April 27, 1948. Retrieved 2023-05-10 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  15. ^ "Membership Drive Being Opened For Baca House, Pioneer Museum". Trinidad Trojan Tribute. April 13, 1956. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  16. ^ a b "A. R. Mitchell Receives Outstanding Service Award". Trinidad Trojan Tribune. May 11, 1962. Retrieved 2023-05-10 – via Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.
  17. ^ "Baca House (Trinidad History Museum)". History Colorado. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  18. ^ "Historic Resources of the Santa Fe Trail, 1821-1880". History Colorado. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  19. ^ "How The A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art in Trinidad, CO came about www.armitchellmseum.com". A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
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