Basic Biographical Details Name: | Mitchell & Whitelaw | Designation: | | Born: | 1902 | Died: | 1909 | Bio Notes: | Henry Mitchell was born in 1864 at Renton/Cardross (Reg dist 494, entry 122), the son of Francis Mitchell, gem and seal engraver, and his wife May Liddel. He was articled to Campbell Douglas & Sellars from 1884, and after Sellars's death in 1888 joined Honeyman & Keppie until he formed a partnership with William Tait Conner, who had also been articled to Campbell Douglas & Sellars at the same time. The partnership did not prosper although both were excellent draughtsmen, most of their time being spent entering competitions. Conner emigrated to Johannesburg in 1902 and Mitchell merged his practice that same year with that of Charles Edward Whitelaw, under the style Mitchell & Whitelaw. Whitelaw had been born Charles Whitelaw (his middle name, Edward, was added later) in Bath Street, Glasgow on 2 November 1869, the son of James Thomas Whitelaw, merchant, who had married Elizabeth Rodgers in Liverpool in February of the same year. The family background was in cotton manufacturing. He had met Mitchell when he was articled to Campbell Douglas & Sellars in 1887-88 and like him had followed John Keppie to the newly formed partnership of Honeyman & Keppie on Sellars's death in 1888. Throughout this period he had studied at Glasgow School of Art. In 1891 he had enrolled at the Atelier Pascal with an introduction from Keppie and on his return had been assistant first to Thomas Lennox Watson and then to Alexander Nisbet Paterson, also formerly of Pascal's atelier. He had commenced independent practice in Glasgow in 1900 prior to merging his practice with Mitchell's. He pursued a further year's study at the School of Art, 1902-3.
The Mitchell & Whitelaw partnership was moderately successful, mainly through Whitelaw family connections and ship interior work, and had Vernon Constable as assistant. Some part-time assistance was also provided by Alexander Wright. The partnership lasted until about 1908 or 1909 when Thomas Lennox Watson, with whom Mitchell had worked briefly on the interiors of the Steam Yacht Margarita and on competition designs for the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Glasgow & West of Scotland Technical College at the beginning of the century, offered Mitchell a partnership. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 219, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | Before 1904 | 1909 | |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or Pupils
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesArchive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Personal information from Alexander Wright |
|