Willard Morse Mitchell’s The Famous Little Bonsecours Church, 1944 is a finely detailed miniature watercolour that captures one of Old Montreal’s most beloved historic landmarks in a charming, intimate format. Painted with delicate control and placed within a hand-carved wooden frame, as was the artist’s custom, the scene reflects Mitchell’s skill at distilling architectural character and atmospheric light into a small scale. The composition’s careful arrangement of forms and gentle hues invites the viewer to appreciate both the architectural grace of the Bonsecours Church and the nostalgic quality of mid-20th-century Canadian streetscapes.

Willard Morse Mitchell (February 14, 1879 – June 15, 1955) was a Canadian artist and architect best known for his miniature watercolour landscapes and village scenes, many of which portray rural Quebec, Old Montreal, and other Eastern Canadian locations. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, as the youngest of six children, Mitchell trained in art and architecture in his hometown before establishing an architectural practice in Saint John. In 1904 he moved to Amherst, Nova Scotia, where he worked as the town architect for nearly twenty years while continuing to paint in his spare time. Around the early 1920s, Mitchell shifted his focus entirely to art and, after brief years in Belleville, Ontario, he relocated to Montreal in 1927 to devote himself to painting full-time.

Mitchell’s watercolours are distinctive for their small size — often no larger than a postcard — and their charming, precise depiction of familiar Canadian scenes. He commonly carved his own frames and wrote descriptive notes on the backs of his pieces, making each miniature both a painting and a carefully crafted souvenir. From the late 1920s through the 1950s, his works were popular with tourists and collectors, and were sold through galleries, gift shops, and steamship line boutiques along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Mitchell travelled widely throughout his career, including visits to Nova Scotia, Italy, and Greecem but it is his portrayal of Canadian landscapes, architecture, and everyday scenes that remain most closely associated with his legacy. He continued painting up until his death in Montreal in 1955, and his miniature watercolours are still cherished today for their nostalgic charm, architectural elegance, and refined craftsmanship.