Object ID	N0039.1961
Title	Charles Mortimer French
Artist	Powers, Asahel
Object Name	Painting
Early Date	1832 ca.
Exhibit label line3	This full-length portrait of six-year-old Charles Mortimer French is one of Powers' more intriguing and successful compositions. The artist's keen instinct for composition and color more than compensate for his unfamiliarity with naturalistic anatomy and perspective, and work to create a painting of extraordinary vitality. The back and seat of the bright yellow-painted chair in which French is seated are at impossible angles, as is the small table top on which the squeak toy precariously rests. Of further visual interest is the top of the painted footstool, which has an unnatural curvature seemingly to accommodate the sitter's feet. The result is a vigorous, chaotic group of interactive forms. The loose painting style of Powers' early career is evident throughout the portrait, particularly in the sitter's baggy suit and thickly painted face and hands. The heavy gray shading of the boy's features contributes to his haggard, aged appearance. Charles Mortimer French was born probably in Vermont in 1826 or 1827. He died in Floyd County, Iowa on January or June 11, 1859, at the age of thirty-two years and six months, and was buried at Proctorsville New Cemetery in Cavendish, Vermont.
Description	Portrait of Charles Mortimer French. Marks: Painted in script on the verso is "Charles Mortimer French/taken at 6 years old./Asahel Powers./Painter."; painted on cover of book hanging from a nail beside the sitter's left shoulder is "Price 18 cents/MY MOTHER/A/PRETTY GIFT/THE NURSSE" followed by three lines of an illegible inscription.
Dimensions	H-36 W-22 inches
Material	Oil on wood panel
Place of Origin	Cavendish or Ludlow, Vermont (probably)

Prior written permission is required for any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use of the images in any media, including but not limited to, printed or electronic media. Contact the Office of the Registrar, New York State Historical Association, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (607) 547-1444, to request permission.    
Last modified on: November 04, 2005