George Caleb Bingham Self-Portrait
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee
Accession Number
NPG.79.46
Tags
About this artwork
Eliza K. Thomas Bingham [wife of artist]; her brother William Thomas; his granddaughter Eleanor Cook, Lake Charles, La.; (Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York); purchased 1979 NPG
Art Historical Context
George Caleb Bingham's Selfrait, created around 1849–50, offers an intimate of the artist during a moment in his career Known primarily as a genre who captured scenes of life along the Missouri and rivers, Bingham here himself in a formal pose, wearing a distinctive bowtie. The painting reflects his dual talents as both a portraitist and a chronicler of the American frontier, rendered in a straightforward, realistic style typical of mid-19th-century American art. Born in Virginia in 1811 and later based in Missouri, Bingham balanced his artistic pursuits with a political career, serving in th...