George Caleb Bingham - Fur Traders Descending the Missouri [1845]

George Caleb Bingham - Fur Traders Descending the Missouri [1845], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

On June 4, 1845, Bingham (American, Augusta County, Virginia, 1811 - Kansas City, Missouri) returned from a winter stay in central Missouri to St. Louis, bringing with him several paintings and many sketches. This apparently was one of the pictures that he brought with him, and he sent it later that year for sale to the American Art-Union. It was first called French Trader Half Breed Son, but the Art-Union gave it the title by which it is now known. The solemn, motionless scene immortalises the vanished world of the American frontier, constructed for a northeastern audience. 

[Oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.7 cm]

George Caleb Bingham - Canvassing for a Vote [1851-52]

George Caleb Bingham (March 20, 1811 – July 7, 1879) was the first American painter with a national reputation to live and work west of the Mississippi. He also was active in Missouri politics for most of his adult life.

Canvassing for a Vote reflects Bingham's full faith in the democratic system, even as he recognised its shortcomings. Set in the artist's hometown of Arrow Rock, Missouri, the composition shows a politician and trio of potential voters in a solid pyramid at the centre of the painting's story: the campaign process at work. Bingham also suggests some of the problems of 1850s American politics. He perhaps implies political disenfranchisement and inattentive citizens by turning one man's back from the main grouping. The sleeping dog likely refers to slavery; an issue that many voters and politicians hoped would remain dormant. Bingham also may point to the dubious character of certain politicians by placing the horse's rump in line with the canvasser’s head.

[Oil on canvas, 64.14 x 77.47 cm]