Bingham Chronology

George Caleb Bingham
American Artist

Please Note: By choice, Fine Art Investigations is not associated in any way with the Bingham Online Catalogue Raisonné nor its sponsor, the Riverbank Foundation.

Relocated Portraits

Since 1998, after learning that nearly 100 of George Caleb Bingham’s portraits were “lost,” Fine Art Investigations’ Patricia Moss began a search for them. The number of relocated George Caleb Bingham portraits currently numbers nearly 70. You can see some of the found portraits in the slide show below.

Some of the Stories of Found George Caleb Bingham Portraits

Dinah Ayers Trigg
1835

George Caleb Bingham
Mrs Shubael Allen (Dinah Ayres Trigg), 1835
Courtesy of Kenneth B. and Cynthia McClain Collection Jackson County Art Museum Independence, Missouri

Dinah Ayers Trigg (Mrs. Shubael Allen), 1835, was found with the help of the Clay County Historical Society. As an artwork, Dinah joins the handful of early artworks that George Caleb Bingham created when he was an itinerant, self-taught artist. Like Binghams of the period, and unlike the two-dimensional figures floating on canvas made by many other itinerants, Dinah sits solidly in the picture plane. The painting demonstrates Bingham’s extraordinary use of his limited palette. As a piece of American history, Dinah Allen herself played an integral role in a dramatic story.

Matilda Donohoe Aull
1837-1838

George Caleb Bingham
Matilda Donohoe (Mrs Robert Aull), 1837/1838
Oil on canvas, 26 x 22 inches Private Collection

Matilda Donohoe (Mrs. Robert Aull), 1837/1838, is an example of George Caleb Bingham’s early artistry and a treasure of history. Because the portrait was located, it was available to help illustrate a book on the importance of the Santa Fe trade in Missouri.

Thomas Hoyle Mastin
1871

George Caleb Bingham
Thomas Hoyle Mastin, 1871
Oil on Canvas, 41.5 x 33.5 inchesKenneth B. and Cynthia McClain CollectionJackson County Art Museum Independence, Missouri (Before Conservation)

George Caleb Bingham
Thomas Hoyle Mastin, 1871
Oil on Canvas, 41.5 x 33.5 inches

Of all the Bingham portraits Moss located, she is most proud of finding Thomas Hoyle Mastin. His story is fascinating, but more importantly, by finding it, I saved it from near destruction. An unappreciative antique dealer used the portrait as a storeroom table. The descendant / owner wanted to sell the artwork so that it could get the attention it needed. Again, since the painting was already fully authenticated with impeccable provenance, I arranged a sale. Collector Kenneth B. McClain is responsible for ensuring the portrait was returned to its former glory.

Sarah Harris Rodes (Mrs. Anthony Wayne Rollins)
1834-1856

George Caleb Bingham
Sarah (Sallie) Harris Rodes (Mrs. Anthony Wayne Rollins), 1834
Oil on canvas, 28 x 23 inches Private Collection

George Caleb Bingham
Sarah (Sallie) Harris Rodes (Mrs. Anthony Wayne Rollins), 1837
Oil on Canvas, 29 x 24 inchesCourtesy of Private Owner

George Caleb Bingham
Sarah (Sallie) Harris Rodes (Mrs. Anthony Wayne Rollins),, After 1850
Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches, Private Collection. Photo by Patricia Moss

George Caleb Bingham
Sarah (Sallie) Harris Rodes (Mrs. Anthony Wayne Rollins), circa 1855/1856
Courtesy of McClain Collection, Jackson County Art Museum, Independence, Missouri

Of all the people George Caleb Bingham portrayed, Sarah Harris Rodes (Mrs. Anthony Wayne Rollins) is one of my favorites. Fortunately, I have been able to locate all four portraits that the Missouri Artist created of her.

Captain David McClanahan Hickman
1849

George Caleb Bingham
Captain David McClanahan Hickman, ca. 1849
Oil on Canvas, 30 x 25 inches Private Collection

Captain David McClanahan Hickman was important to the development of central Missouri. He was also related by marriage to George Caleb Bingham. Finding the portrait took ten years.

If you know of any George Caleb Bingham portraits not currently recorded, please contact Fine Art Investigations.

A Suffragette Leader

A Bingham or a Hughes?

Man in a Blue Vest