Bingham, George Caleb

Bingham, George Caleb (1811-1879), American painter of genre scenes. He was born in Augusta County, Virginia, but lived mainly in Missouri, where the frontier life inspired his work. Except for a few months in art schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1838 and in Düsseldorf, Germany, in the 1850s, Bingham was self-taught. He initially concentrated on portraits, and later turned to quiet landscapes and the realistic genre painting for which he is best known. Although he conveyed the lively, homely quality of pioneer life, he was also concerned with carefully controlled composition and the effects of light. Many of Bingham's works, such as the famous Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and Raftsmen Playing Cards (1847, St Louis Art Museum, St Louis, Missouri), are marked by a classical serenity and clarity despite their rough-hewn subjects. Bingham also held several offices in the Missouri state government.