Expansion of slavery to the territories was a topic debated throughout the United States, and even though his father owned slaves (which Bingham sold before the Civil War began), he believed slavery to be immoral and an issue that threatened the future of the Union. He ran for the Missouri state legislature in 1846 but lost the seat when his opponent challenged the election results. Described by one biographer as an activist who felt obligated to fight for the principles he held dear, Bingham engaged in Missouri politics. He did more than paint about the issues, however. even though his father owned slaves (which Bingham sold before the Civil War began), he believed slavery to be immoral and an issue that threatened the future of the Union.Īlthough not as obvious to modern admirers, Bingham was considered a political painter in his day, with his works reflecting issues of regional and national import. Although almost totally self-taught, Bingham later studied the techniques of well-known artists in New York galleries. Louis and opened a portrait studio and within two years was well established as a portrait painter. By age 19 he was earning as much as $20 per portrait, and by 1833 he was able to support himself through his painting. Bingham left his home in Arrow Rock in 1827 to study cabinet making but also began to earn money painting portraits of members of local families in Saline and Benton counties. Mary Bingham opened a girls’ school to support her large family, and 12-year-old George worked as a janitor at the school to assist her. A financial setback in 1818 forced his father to move the family to Saline County, Missouri, where he died of malaria in 1823. The brutality visited on the noncombatants along the Missouri-Kansas border before and during the Civil War appalled Bingham, but despite his strong feelings, he used his paintings to support his political philosophy that the Union must be maintained.īingham was born in Augusta County, Virginia, on March 20, 1811, to Mary Amend and Henry Vest Bingham. While Bingham’s reputation as an artist is widely known, his role in Missouri politics and specifically in the border conflicts of the 1860s is less familiar. George Caleb Bingham was a recognized son of Missouri throughout his life: a reputation that was solidified by his paintings portraying life in the state and on its rivers.
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