August 17, 2014 at 2:38 PM
Mural collecting dust is William Cumming original
MOUNT VERNON (AP) — A Seattle art dealer says a large mural originally mistaken for a tarp is an original 1941 painting from Northwest School artist William Cumming.
The mural, painted on canvas measuring 28 feet long and 7 feet tall, had collected dust for decades in barns belonging to Tony Breckenridge’s family.
Art gallery owner John Braseth told the Skagit Valley Herald the painting is worth at least $100,000. He says it’s a priceless piece of Skagit County and state history.
Cumming was part of the Northwest School of art, a movement of the 1930s and 40s with roots in Skagit County.
Breckenridge initially thought the painting was from a junior livestock show and offered it up to the Skagit County Fair in Mount Vernon, where it was displayed this month.
| More in General news
| Topics: artist, Mount Vernon, painting found
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only, and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.