Old Mill Salmon River

Acquired directly from the artist Private Collection, Ontario

Charles Beale, Manly MacDonald: Interpreter of Old Ontario, Napanee, 2010, page 6

With an affinity for historic buildings and structures, MacDonald had a particular interest in old mills, integral for small town industry in Canada. This scene depicts the mill structure in winter, a favourite seasonal subject for MacDonald, on the bank of Salmon River, a river running through Frontenac County near Shannonville, Ontario. MacDonald is said to have “painted every mill within a hundred miles of Belleville.” Picturesque, this piece employs soft impressionistic handling of paints to instill a feeling of calm after a winter snowfall.