
Annotated Bibliography
George Caleb Bingham: The Missouri Artist
Rusk. Fern Helen
Hugh Stephens Company. 1917. (This is the original Bingham biography and can be read online.)
Over 100 years later, and despite a woefully incomplete paintings listing, this slim volume is still a treasure.
George Caleb Bingham: River Portraitist
McDermott. John Francis
University of Oklahoma Press. 1959
A good read but superseded by the work of E. Maurice Bloch.
George Caleb Bingham: A Catalogue Raisonné
Bloch. E. Maurice
University of California Press. 1967
George Caleb Bingham: The Evolution of an Artist
Bloch. E. Maurice
University of California Press. 1967
This two-volume set contains valuable commentary that was edited out of the 1986 revision.

George Caleb Bingham: the Evolution of an Artist
Bloch. E. Maurice, 1967
George Caleb Bingham: Frontier Painter of Missouri
Christ-Janer. Albert
Harry N. Abrams. Inc. 1975
The drawings of George Caleb Bingham with a Catalogue Raisonné
Bloch, E Maurice
University of Missouri Press. 1975
The Paintings of George Caleb Bingham: A Catalogue Raisonné
Bloch. E. Maurice
University of Missouri Press. 1986
Still the most reliable source of information on the artist.
George Caleb Bingham
Shapiro. Michael Edward
The Saint Louis Museum of Art in association with Harry N. Abrams. Inc. 1990
Attractive book with uneven essays. The best essays are those by Barbara Groseclose and by Elizabeth Johns.
The Painting and Politics of George Caleb Bingham
Rash. Nancy
Yale University Press. 1991
Well-researched and well-regarded political interpretations
George Caleb Bingham
Shapiro. Michael Edward
Harry N. Abrams. Inc. in association with the National Museum of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. 1993
Offers fresh insights into Bingham’s life and oeuvre.
George Caleb Bingham: Missouri’s Famed Painter and Forgotten Politician
Nagel. Paul C.
University of Missouri Press – Missouri Heritage Readers. 2005
A biography directed toward young readers but suitable for adults. Unfortunately includes an erroneous attribution.
“But I Forget That I am a Painter and Not a Politician”: The Letters of George Caleb Bingham
Gentzler. Lynn Wolf. Editor. Roger E. Robinson. Compiler
The State Historical Society of Missouri and Friends of Arrow Rock, Inc. 2011
Essential compilation of primary source material.
Navigating the West: George Caleb Bingham and the River
Luarca-Shoaf. Nenette
Yale University Press. 2014
Particularly fine in delineating the quality of the artist’s techniques.