Fur traders on Missouri River, c. 1845.

Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, oil on canvas, 1851–52

George Caleb Bingham (March 20, 1811 – July 7, 1879) was an American realist artist, whose work depicts American life in the frontier lands along the Missouri River. Left to languish in obscurity, George's work was rediscovered in the 1930s and he is now widely considered one of the greatest American painters of the 1800s. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2024x1611, 202 KB) Description: Title: de: Pelzhändler auf dem Missouri Technique: de: Öl auf Leinwand Dimensions: de: 73,5 × 93 cm Country of origin: de: USA Current location (city): de: New York Current location (gallery): de: Metropolitan Museum of Art... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2024x1611, 202 KB) Description: Title: de: Pelzhändler auf dem Missouri Technique: de: Öl auf Leinwand Dimensions: de: 73,5 × 93 cm Country of origin: de: USA Current location (city): de: New York Current location (gallery): de: Metropolitan Museum of Art... The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (826x605, 52 KB) Summary Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52 Licensing The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (826x605, 52 KB) Summary Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52 Licensing The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States. ...

Born in Augusta County, Virginia^[1], George was the second of seven children born to Henry Vest Bingham and Mary Amend. Upon their marriage, Matthias Amend, Mary's father, gave ownership to the family mill, 1,180 acres of land and several slaves to Henry with the agreement that Matthias could live with the family the rest of his life. Henry offered the land and mill as surety for a friend's debt and, when the friend died in 1818, all was lost. George's family soon moved to Franklin, Missouri "where the land was said to be bountiful, fertile and cheap."^[2] Augusta County is a county located in the state of Virginia. ... 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... Franklin is a city located in Howard County, Missouri. ...

George was a self-taught artist. His sole childhood exposure to the field was as a nine-year-old boy, when famed American portraitist Chester Harding visited Franklin looking for business, having recently sketched Daniel Boone in Warren County, Missouri. George assisted Harding during his brief stay, an experience that left a powerful impression.^[2] Chester Harding (September 1, 1792 - April 1, 1866), American portrait painter, was born at Conway, Massachusetts. ... Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (November 2, 1734 – September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer, frontiersman and Indian-fighter, who blazed the trail known as the Wilderness Road and founded Boonesborough, Kentucky (also known as Boonesboro). ... Warren County is a county located in the state of Missouri. ...

In 1823, George's father, now judge of Howard County Court, died of malaria on December 26 at the age of thirty-eight. To keep the family going, Mary Bingham opened a school for girls and George, now twelve, worked as school janitor to help keep the family afloat. At age sixteen, George apprenticed with cabinet maker Jesse Green. After Green moved, he apprenticed with another cabinet maker, Justinian Williams. Both tradesmen were Methodist ministers and, while under their tutelage, George studied religious texts, preached at camp meetings and thought about becoming a minister himself. George also considered becoming a lawyer.^[2] 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Malaria is an infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. ...

However, by age nineteen, George was painting portraits for $20.00 a piece, often completing the works in a single day. He drummed up work in both Franklin and Arrow Rock and, while his painting abilities were still developing, succeeded in impressing his patrons with his strong draftsmanship and ability to capture the likeness of his subject. Soon George attemptted to travel to St. Louis to ply his trade but contracted measles, which left him weak and permanently bald.^[3]

In 1836, George married Sarah Elizabeth Hutchison, who bore him three children over the subsequent twelve years before dying at the age of twenty-nine. George married twice more, first to Eliza Thomas, who died in a mental institution in 1876, and then to Martha Lykins, who lived until 1890. George's mother, Mary, died in 1851.^[2] October 2, Charles Darwin returns from his voyage around the world. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

By 1838, George was already beginning to make a name for himself as a portait artist in St. Louis, his studio visited by several prominent local citizens and statesmen, including the lawyer James S. Rollins who was to become a life-long friend. To further his education, George spent three months in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before continuing on to New York to visit the National Academy of Design exhibition.^[3] | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ...

George was elected to the Missouri General Assembly in 1848.^[4] 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

From 1856 to 1859, Bingham studied art with the members of the Düsseldorf School in Düsseldorf, Germany. Critics claim that this caused him to abandon the rustic American style in his art. Upon his return, he began painting less, turning to politics in the post-Civil War years and serving as state treasurer and adjutant general. He was also president of the Board of Police Commissioners for Kansas City, Missouri in 1874, appointing the first chief of police there [1]. Toward the end of his life he was a professor of art at the University of Missouri-Columbia. 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Düsseldorf - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy... The State Treasurer of Missouri is a statewide elected official responsible for serving as Missouris chief financial officer. ... Police Commissioner (or Commissioner of Police) is the title of the chief officer of many law enforcement agencies. ... Nickname: City of Fountains or Heart of America Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Chief of Police is the title typically given to the head of a police department, particularly in the United States and Canada. ... The University of Missouri-Columbia (abbreviated UMC and nicknamed Mizzou) is an institution of higher learning located in Columbia, Missouri and is the main campus in the University of Missouri system. ...

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri

This is one of Bingham's most famous paintings and now resides in the permanent collection of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Painted around 1845 in the luminist style, it was originally entitled, "French-Trader Half-breed Son", however, the American Art-Union thought the name controversial and renamed it with the title we now know. The painting itself is hauting for its portrayal of a by-gone era; notice the liberte hat worn by the old man, the young boy, and the red dot on the duck bringing your eye to water level. As a point of trivia, the animal on the prow has never been identified, some prefer wolf, or cat, or dog.

References

• 1. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896 (Marquis Who's Who, 1967).

• ^ ^{a b c d} Nagel, Paul C., "The Man and His Times," in George Caleb Bingham, ed. Michael Edward Shapiro (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990).
• ^ ^{a b} Christ-Janer, Albert, George Caleb Bingham: Frontier Painter of Missouri (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1975).
• ^ Rash, Nancy, The Painting And Politics of George Caleb Bingham (Yale University Press, 1991).