Sixth Plate

THE GRIP! An adorable little boy tightly held the edge of a cloth-covered table while he sat stiffly for his retaped sixth plate portrait. Written in period ink on the original seal was: “March 1st Gilmore Artist Age 8 year old DeKalb”. Most likely the architect of the kid’s image was William H. Gilmore, who worked in Providence RI as early as 1846 before having a studio for a year at 236 Main St. in Worcester MA circa 1851. Casey preserved the first seal underneath the lad in his separated case that has a floral theme on both sides. There are some mold spiders and a faint scratch near the youthful subject’s hand. Splashes of red were painted on his cheeks while bolder hues defined the fabric.