Gloucestershire Echo: Friday 23 March 1917

Death of Mr. J. MITCHELL.

Cheltenham has lost one of its best known figures by the death of Mr. Joseph Mitchell, connoisseur and dealer in antiques, of the “Curio Club”, Clarence Parade, who passed away after a long and painful illness, at his residence, 29 Clarence-square, on Wednesday, aged 74 years. A native of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, he settled in Cheltenham in 1873, having previously married at Trowbridge Miss Harriett Gunning, daughter of Mr. Beaumont Gunning, of that place, who survives him, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell celebrating their golden wedding in 1912.

Mr. Mitchell, who for professional reasons took the name J. Harvey Mitchell, was one the best-known connoisseurs of antiques and objects of virtue in this part the country, and his ability and probity won him the respect of a large clientele in several counties. He must have had a native gift for the calling, for we have heard that he took to it by choice after having been trained to another. His judgment was regarded as very sound and his taste high, so that in a town famous for its antique dealers and the quality of their establishments, his place as connoisseur was well recognised.

In more than one respect he reminded the writer of Joseph Quinney, the fine connoisseur in Horace Annesley Vachell’s famous play “Quiuneys,” but above all in Quinney’s hatred of rubbish, especially the spuriously antique. Said Quinney, “Rubbish is beastly, rubbish is loathsome, rubbish poisons the whole earth”. And Mr. Mitchell, in his real love for the beautiful things in which he dealt and amongst which his mind dwelt lovingly, hated the spurious and hated “rubbish” with at least as much vehemence. For his was a vehement disposition, sometimes to the discomfiture of the stagnant minded, the sleekly conventional, those who had not got to understand his points view and what strong realities they were to him. In many ways his was a thoroughly original disposition, a bit of a cynic, too, but not to a degree of sourness; and we know his somewhat unconventional exterior covered very warm and kindly feelings.

Up and down this and adjoining counties for many a mile his figure was well known, especially by those quaint short, flat-crowned hats in felt, beaver, or straw he always assumed, having them specially manufactured for himself to his own designs, a remark also applying to many of his suits. If the public stared, they certainly did not sneer, for there was a smartness and originality and quality in his ideas which commanded respect and even admiration, though few might have the pluck to follow. Nor was this originality to be deemed mere eccentricity. He liked originality and smartness for their own sake, but also believed as thoroughly in an originality of outer appearance as he disliked a lack of originality in the inner man. In his quaint way he had been known suggest to parsons that as nature was everlastingly original in every manifestation, they might possibly profit by a little of the originality of which he was an admirer and exponent; but as to his original hats, he would frankly admit that in addition his (not unreasonable) belief that they were better than most people’s in comfort, it was by no means a disadvantage for a person in his profession to look different from the crowd. He was a Conservative in politics; was rather hostile to the idea that creeds, churches, chapels contained all goodness of the world; but had hearty sympathy with good causes, church or lay. He dealt in curios and was somewhat of a curiosity himself, but the friends who knew him best liked him better for the fact. He leaves, in addition to his widow, a daughter, Mrs. Broome, of Bath. His two grandsons occupy good positions in the educational world, Mr. Arthur Broome under the L.C.C., and Mr. Cyril Broome, M.A., as a University professor.