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Take a New Look at Missouri's Master of American Art

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An exhibit of seldom-seen works by George Caleb Bingham will give new insight into the complex character of one of the first great American painters. Bingham was MU's first professor of art.

The Museum of Art and Archaeology presents “Exploration, Interpretation and the Works of George Caleb Bingham” from June 9 through Aug. 19. The free public exhibit marks the 50th anniversary of the museum.

Gathered from seven collections, the pieces examine the variety of Bingham's works — genre scenes, portraits and allegorical subjects — and explore the tensions that accompanied Westward expansion during the 19th century.

Mostly self-educated, Bingham supported himself for much of his career by painting portraits. He is known widely for paintings of fur traders, boatmen and settlers, as well as images of the political process in rural areas.

“On first glance, his picture of life in 19th-century Missouri appears harmless,” says guest curator Kristin Schwain, an MU assistant professor of art history and archaeology.

“Rural folk dancing on rafts while floating down the river and simple townspeople struggling to figure out the democratic process present an image of a simpler time, not yet encumbered by the advance of industry, technology, women’s suffrage and civil rights; however, a closer look at Bingham's work reveals that picture to be a mirage.”

Bingham had no small opinions. Implicit in his paintings are the tensions that permeated American life during that time: dynamic changes in gender relations, ethnic conflict, the advance of modern technology and strife that led to the Civil War.

In many ways, Bingham embodies the divisions of his era. He was a slave-owning, ardent Unionist who paid a price for his Union views, yet he painted canvases critical of Union, not Confederate, actions.

“By calling attention to these tensions, I hope we can create a more nuanced and honest look at life in pre- and post-Civil War Missouri, which will, in turn, shed light on issues we continue to face in the 21st century,” Schwain says.

Of special interest on the subject of gender relations are Bingham’s two portraits of Vinnie Ream, the first woman artist to receive a federal commission. Ream created a six-foot marble sculpture of Abraham Lincoln unveiled in the Capitol Building before a national and international audience, but, in one of the portraits, Bingham painted her in classical style as an allegorical figure — possibly a muse of art — rather than as a pioneer of female artists.

One of Bingham’s more unusual works in the exhibit was painted over a photograph and deals with the issue of separation of church and state. The subject of Major Dean in Jail is Abner Holton Dean, a Baptist preacher imprisoned for preaching the gospel without having sworn a loyalty oath to the Union.

To offer multiple interpretations of Bingham's works, Schwain directed senior students of art theory and criticism in MU’s Department of Art History and Archaeology as they prepared multiple explanations of the works.

While telling the stories behind the oil paintings, the students' signed panels draw attention to the interpretive power of exhibitions and make viewers aware that they have the right to question interpretations. “Going to a museum should not be a passive form of entertainment,” Schwain says.

The University acquired many Bingham paintings that were later lost in an 1892 fire that destroyed the main academic building. In 1910, the University mounted one of the largest recorded exhibitions of Bingham’s work.

Exhibit hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The museum is located on campus at the corner of Ninth Street and University Avenue.

Bingham Exhibit

• Captured by Indians, Saint Louis Art Museum (companion to Belated Wayferers)
• Belated Wayfarers, Saint Louis Art Museum
• The Dull Story, Saint Louis Art Museum
• Portrait of Miss Vinnie Ream, Wisconsin State Historical Society, Madison
• Portrait of Miss Vinnie Ream, State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia
• Major Dean in Jail, William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo.
• The Concealed Enemy, Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas
• Portrait of James Madison Gordon, MU Museum of Art and Archaeology
• Portrait of Thomas Withers Nelson, MU Museum of Art and Archaeology
• Portrait of Thomas Miller (Bingham’s only known miniature), State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia
• Original engraving plate for Martial Law, or Order No. 11, State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia
• Hand-colored engraving of Martial Law, or Order No. 11, State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia
• Copy by W.F. Hardy of Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, City of Columbia, Mo.

Historical Society Displays New Bingham Acquisition

In a related exhibit just two blocks from the Museum of Art and Archaeology, visitors can view a permanent collection of Bingham’s works at the State Historical Society of Missouri, located in Ellis Library on the MU campus.

A new acquisition, The Thread of Life, depicts an allegorical figure that scholars suggest represents the fragility of life. Painted in pastel tones, the image of a woman (possibly Fate) holding a baby was probably made for Bingham’s second wife, Eliza, to mark the birth of the couple’s only child.

The Society holds one of the largest collections of Bingham paintings. Ten works are on display, including Martial Law, or Order No. 11, Missouri’s most famous historical painting, and Watching the Cargo, a river scene of a grounded steamboat.

The Society’s main gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Last Update: November 15, 2007