Bingham, George Caleb, 1811–79, American genre painter and politician, b. Augusta co., Va. His family moved (1819) to Missouri, which was the site of most of Bingham's activities. In 1837 he studied for a short time at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. From 1856 to 1859 he traveled in Europe, studying at Düsseldorf for a time. Journeys on the Mississippi and through the South resulted in such paintings as Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (Metropolitan Mus.); Daniel Boone Coming Through the Cumberland Gap (1851; Washington Univ., St. Louis); and Raftsmen Playing Cards (City Art Mus., St. Louis). Bingham entered Missouri politics with his election to the legislature in 1848 (he had been defeated in 1846); he served as state treasurer (1862–65), after a year in the Union army, and became state adjutant general in 1875. Such pictures as The Verdict of the People and Stump Speaking (Mercantile Library Association, St. Louis) reflect his interest in politics. His scenes—vigorous, interesting in composition, humorous, and faithfully representing their time and locale—were very popular in his day, and engravings from them sold widely.

Bibliography

See catalog and study by E. M. Bloch (2 vol., 1967, repr. 1986).

Bingham, George Caleb

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, oil on canvas by George Caleb …

(credit: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Morris K. Jesup Fund, 1933)

(born March 20, 1811, Augusta county, Va., U.S.—died July 7, 1879, Kansas City, Mo.) U.S. painter and frontier politician. He studied briefly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, but he was largely self-taught. He entered politics in Missouri and worked as an itinerant portrait painter before turning to the lively routines of frontier life for inspiration. Bingham is known for his incisive characterizations, clear, golden light, and talent for organizing large, dense compositions. His best-known works include Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845) and Jolly Flatboatmen (1846).

Bingham, George Caleb (1811–79) painter; born in Augusta County, Va. His family moved to Missouri (1819), and he painted scenes from the frontier life surrounding him. Representative examples of his work include The Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845), and The Trappers Return (1851). He was often involved in politics, and his painting, The County Election (1851–52) is one of many works reflecting this interest. After studying at Düsseldorf (1856–59), he became an art professor at the University of Missouri (1877). From then on the quality of his work declined.