George Caleb Bingham

George Caleb Bingham
A self-portrait by George Caleb Bingham, painted 1834–35
Born	(1811-03-20)March 20, 1811 Augusta County, Virginia, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1879(1879-07-07) (aged 68) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Autodidact (study of prints of Old Masters and copybooks) Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Known for	Painting
Movement	Luminism

George Caleb Bingham (March 20, 1811 – July 7, 1879) was an American artist, soldier and politician known in his lifetime as "the Missouri Artist".^[1] Initially a Whig, he was elected as a delegate to the Missouri legislature before the American Civil War where he fought against the extension of slavery westward. During that war, although born in Virginia, Bingham was dedicated to the Union cause and became captain of a volunteer company which helped keep the state from joining the Confederacy, and then served four years as Missouri's Treasurer. During his final years, Bingham held several offices in Kansas City, while also serving as Missouri's Adjutant General.^[2] His paintings of American frontier life along the Missouri River exemplify the Luminist style.^[3]