A three-quarter-length portrait to the left showing Mitchell in a blue coat frogged with elaborate gold buttonholes; there is further frogging on the sleeves. His left hand is on his hip; his right is tucked into his coat front. A blue silk drape covers his lower body. Mitchell stands on a cliff with foliage. A ship, shown in starboard quarter view, is on the left.

David Mitchell was probably born in Scotland and apprenticed to a Leith shipmaster at the age of 16. He later served as mate of a vessel in the Baltic trade. It seems he was impressed into the Navy in 1672 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Between 31 October 1673 and 15 October 1674, he served as a midshipman in the ‘Swallow’ (46 guns) under Captain Edward Russell in the Mediterranean. Mitchell followed Russell to the 48-gun ‘Reserve’, 21 May 1676 to 19 June 1677, voyaging to Newfoundland. He was then second lieutenant in the 56-gun ‘Defiance’ (16 January 1678 to 23 March 1678) and then appointed to the 70-gun ‘Swiftsure’ in the Channel, where he remained until November 1679. Between May 1680 and July 1683 he was back in the Mediterranean, with Russell in the ‘Newcastle’ and then in the 46-gun ‘Tiger’, serving under Arthur Herbert.

Mitchell was promoted captain on 5 February 1684, commanding the 48-gun ‘Ruby’, which was employed convoying slave ships across the Atlantic and chasing pirates until October 1686. He was a convert to William III’s cause and appointed to command the 70-gun, two-decker ‘Elizabeth’ in March 1689. She was Herbert’s flagship at Banty Bay on 1 May 1689 and Mitchell commanded her at Beachy Head in June 1690. He then moved to the 100-gun ‘Britannia’ (January to 7 October 1691 and again 7 February 1692 to 26 January 1693). He was made rear-admiral of the blue on 7 February 1693. Further service and promotion followed. As vice-admiral of the blue he commanded the squadron that escorted Tsar Peter to England from the Netherlands in January 1698. Peter the Great was impressed by Mitchell and he attended the tsar during his visit. He was knighted on 5 December that year and was made gentleman usher of the black rod, a post he held until his death on 1 June 1710.