The Politics of Portraiture in George Caleb Bingham's "Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch" of 1877

This project examines George Caleb Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch of 1877, part of small collection of portraits that Bingham painted of members of the Nelson and Birch families of Boonville, Missouri. The American Realist painter's devotion to political issues associated with frontier living, particularly those in Missouri, informed much of his subject matter at the height of his artistic career. While much attention and scholarly research has been dedicated to the impact of Bingham's political ideologies on his genre paintings, little has been said on how such beliefs shaped his portraiture. Through a close examination of Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, this paper reveals how Bingham crafted an identity for his sitter that was profoundly influenced by his political beliefs, creating an image centered around domestic harmony and the potential of the Missourian frontier to the United States of America in the late nineteenth century.

THE POLITICS OF PORTRAITURE IN GEORGE CALEB BINGHAM'S PORTRAIT OF MRS. JAMES THOMAS BIRCH OF 1877 by Emily Morrison A MA project submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Art History Department of Art and Art History The University of Utah May 2020 Copyright © Emily Morrison 2020 All Rights Reserved THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a final project paper submitted by Emily Morrison This final paper has been read by each member of the following supervisory committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory. April 27, 2020 ____________________ Date _______________________________________ Chair: Lela Graybill April 27, 2020 ____________________ Date _______________________________________ Jessen Kelly April 27, 2020 ____________________ Date _______________________________________ Sarah Hollenberg THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS FINAL READING APPROVAL I have read the final project paper of Emily Morrison in its final form and have found that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographic style are consistent and acceptable; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the Supervisory Committee and is ready for submission. 15 May 2020 __________________ _________________________________ Date Chair, Supervisory Committee Approved for the Major Department Art History _____________________________________________ Paul Stout Chair ABSTRACT This project examines George Caleb Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch of 1877, part of small collection of portraits that Bingham painted of members of the Nelson and Birch families of Boonville, Missouri. The American Realist painter's devotion to political issues associated with frontier living, particularly those in Missouri, informed much of his subject matter at the height of his artistic career. While much attention and scholarly research has been dedicated to the impact of Bingham's political ideologies on his genre paintings, little has been said on how such beliefs shaped his portraiture. Through a close examination of Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, this paper reveals how Bingham crafted an identity for his sitter that was profoundly influenced by his political beliefs, creating an image centered around domestic harmony and the potential of the Missourian frontier to the United States of America in the late nineteenth century. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………..……………………………….iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………….…v THE POLITICS OF PORTRAITURE IN GEORGE CALEB BINGHAM'S PORTRAIT OF MRS. JAMES THOMAS BIRCH OF 1877………………………………………………...………1 FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………………..….28 APPENDIX: SEPTEMBER 22, 2019 INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET ANDERSON…...…45 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………..52 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my very great appreciation to Dr. Lela Graybill for her valuable guidance and patient encouragement during the planning and development of this project. Her willingness to give her time so generously has been very much appreciated. To my other committee members: Dr. Jessen Kelly and Dr. Sarah Hollenberg, thank you both for your support and constructive recommendations for this project. The Politics of Portraiture in George Caleb Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch of 1877 Emily Morrison George Caleb Bingham's (1811-1879) acclaimed status as "the Missouri Artist" stems from the coalescence of his interest in politics and the arts.1 The American Realist painter's devotion to political issues associated with frontier living, particularly those in Missouri, informed much of his subject matter at the height of his artistic career. Bingham's ostensibly naturalistic genre scenes discreetly idealized the potential that Missouri's frontier offered its inhabitants. While much attention and scholarly research has been dedicated to the impact of Bingham's political ideologies on his genre paintings, little has been said on how such beliefs shaped his portraiture. This project focuses on a singular portrait by Bingham, Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch (Margaret Eliza Nelson) of 1877 (Figure 1). I argue that Bingham's political ideologies influenced his portrayal of Mrs. Birch's identity as a mother and a Missourian, which he instrumentalized to create an image of domestic harmony that implicated not only the Birch household, but also the westward expansion of America. I contextualize Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch with reference to a small body of work the artist produced in relation to the Nelson and Birch families during a series of visits to Boonville, Missouri. Around the time that Bingham completed his portrait of Mrs. Birch he also produced three other works: an image of the Birch estate, Forest Hill (Figure 2), a portrait of Mrs. Birch's mother, Portrait of Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson (Mary Gay Wyan) (Figures 3 and 17), and an informal painting of Mrs. Birch, Palm Leaf Shade (Figure 4). I will contextualize these four paintings with reference to two earlier portrait pairs that Bingham 1 Nancy Rash, The Painting and Politics of George Caleb Bingham (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991), 9. 2 completed of the Nelson and Birch families: in 1844-45 his portraits of Mrs. Birch's parents, Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson (Mary Gay Wyan) (Figure 5) and Portrait of Thomas Withers Nelson (Figure 6), and in 1870 another portrait of Mrs. Birch, along with one of her husband, Mrs. James Thomas Birch (Margaret Eliza Nelson) (Figure 7) and James Thomas Birch (Figure 8). Despite George Caleb Bingham's title of "Missouri's Artist," he was not a Missourian by birth.2 In March of 1811, he was born on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. Here his father raised tobacco until the land boom and hope for more economic opportunity drew the family to Franklin, Missouri.3 At the age of sixteen, Bingham apprenticed to a cabinet-maker while he developed his skills in drawing and painting. By 1833, Bingham began painting portraits of neighboring Missourians of Saline County.4 During this time, Bingham established a close friendship with James S. Rollins. James Rollins, being heavily engaged in frontier politics, persuaded Bingham into a similar political circle. These political pursuits prompted Bingham's frequent travel from the eastern governmental centers, such as Virginia, and his adopted frontier home. This frequency of travel fostered an ability to see a variety of perspectives, allowing Bingham to understand how both those on the East Coast and on the western frontier viewed the potential future of the United States of America. This trait would later aid George Caleb Bingham's political and artistic pursuits by enhancing his capacity to show the west with a knowledge of what would be appropriate and appealing to the perspective of those in the east. 2 John Mcdermott, George Caleb Bingham: River Portraitist (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1959), 15. 3 Mcdermott, George Caleb Bingham, 15. 4 Keith L. Bryan, "George Caleb Bingham: The Artist as Whig Politician," Missouri Historical Review, no. 4 (1965). 3 In 1837, an incident with unreliable funds from a local bank led George Caleb Bingham to bitterly complain about the actions of the Federal Treasury to James Rollins.5 This event spurred Bingham's increased interest in the political pursuits of the Whig party, which strongly opposed a county-wide banking system heavily manipulated by the Federal government. Established in 1833, the Whig party originally emerged in contest to the Jacksonian Democrat's position of a strong federal power. At this time, the pivotal moment in American history in which the future of westward expansion-as well as the power dynamic between the federal and state governments-was being determined. The Whigs were directly opposed to any form of a tyrannical monarch and saw Andrew Jackson's presidency as a direct threat to freedoms achieved during the American Revolution. In response to Jackson's presidency, Bingham strongly advocated that, "the tendencies of military power are anti-republican and despotic, and to preserve liberty, the supremacy of civil authority must be carefully maintained."6 In addition to their disapproval for Jackson, the Whigs collectively held strong beliefs about the methods of Manifest Destiny. According to Cristina Klee, "Whereas the Democratic Party supported aggressive imperialist tactics - promoting Indian removal and the rapid acquisition of land - the Whigs… pursued a less bellicose, more communal, and perhaps more subtle expansionist agenda."7 While many of the party's core principles were in a constant state of flux due to the broad range of issues they sought to address, until the late 1840s central concerns of the party included a strong aversion President Andrew Jackson, a domestic approach 5 Bryan, "George Caleb Bingham: The Artist as Whig Politician," 450. Paul Nagel, George Caleb Bingham: Missouri's Famed Painter and Forgotten Politician (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2005), 113 7 Cristina Klee, "The Happy Family and the Politics of Domesticity," (PhD. diss., University of Delaware, 2004), 64. 6 4 to westward expansion, and concern for the political and economic future of the west in a country whose federal government was predominantly eastern concentrated. George Caleb Bingham offered his name as the Whig candidate for the Missouri legislature in 1846. After losing to a Democratic candidate, he determined to run again in 1848, winning this time by a clear majority.8 During his time in office, Bingham painted many genre scenes that reveal what was of critical importance to Bingham and his vision for the future of the Union. George Caleb Bingham was very active in Whig politics until the party shattered amid conflicting attitudes towards the future of slavery in the Union. Unwilling to cooperate with Southern Whigs slaveowners, Bingham urged for party members to distance themselves from Southern Whigs. This fracture resulted in the eventual collapse of the party. While the party was disintegrating, Bingham continued to promote his views of the promise of frontier. 9 In The County Election (1854) (Figure 9), for example, Bingham presents a complicated scene of frontier democracy.10 Men, rich and poor, sprawl across the crowded composition, practicing their constitutional right to vote. Bingham strongly believed in the importance of political activism and affirmed that only through the west's persistent political participation would they be able to persuade the federal government to allocate funds to the protection and cultivation of the frontier's growing economy. According to Nancy Rash, the lack of a single dramatic focus in The County Election expresses the democratic ideal of the equality of all men.11 George Caleb Bingham worked closely with engraver, John Sartain, to transpose the painting into a print which could be widely 8 Paul Nagel, George Caleb Bingham: Missouri's Famed Painter and Forgotten Politician, 28. Bryan, "George Caleb Bingham: The Artist as Whig Politician," 461. 10 Nancy Rash, "New Light on George Caleb Bingham & John Sartain," Print Collector's Newsletter 25 (1994): 135. 11 Ibid., 135. 9 5 disseminated throughout all of America.12 This was done to further promote the growth of the frontier and the idealization of a democracy in which seemingly everyone has a voice, regardless of socioeconomic status. Bingham proclaimed that these active scenes of frontier democracy are "applicable to every section of the union, and illustrate the manners of a free people and free institutions."13 The circulation of the printed version of The County Election acted as an advertisement for frontier democracy to those in the east. While representing the inclusiveness of democracy, Bingham conveniently foregoes any depiction of an African American man or any woman. At this time, the conversation specifically about the future of African American men and women was beginning to tear at the seams of the Whig party, which was unable to unite on a common front. Despite the conversation about the future of the African American's happening within the union, Bingham does not address the issue that would later bring the destruction of the Whig party in the early 1850's.14 Remaining active in Whig politics, Bingham traveled through central Missouri during 1845 and 1846, painting portraits of some of the more wealthy citizens, most of whom were Whigs.15 While the heart of the Whig population in Missouri was located in Saint Louis, there were pockets of similar ideologies growing throughout the state. One such pocket included the surrounding area of Boone's Lick County. Located in central Missouri, four miles east of Arrow Rock and the Missouri River, this county housed rural populations of wealthy members of the Whig party.16 12 Ibid., 136. Richard Archey, "Politics in Art: The Example of the American Frontier Artist George Caleb Bingham," (PhD. diss., California State University, 2001), 86. 14 Rash, "New Light on George Caleb Bingham." 15 Bryan, "George Caleb Bingham, The Artist as a Whig Politican," 453. 16 Ibid., 450. 13 6 While attending a Whig convention in Boonville, Missouri, Bingham painted the portraits of Thomas Withers Nelson (Figure 6) and his wife, Mary Gay Wyan Nelson (Figure 5), at their Forest Hill estate, "beginning an association with the Nelson/Birch family," according to Robert Dyer, "that would last for the rest of his life."17 Following the marriage of Mary Gay Wyan's daughter, Margaret Nelson to James Thomas Birch in 1870, Bingham painted marriage portraits of the bride and groom (Figures 7 and 8). Returning again to Forest Hill in 1877, Bingham painted a second portrait of Mrs. Margaret Nelson Birch (Figure 1). At the time of the portrait, she was awaiting the birth of the eighth child, James Erskine Birch.18 On this occasion, he also completed a painting of the Nelson's Forest Hill estate (Figure 2) and his second known portrait of Mary Gay Wyan (Figures 3 and 17). Bingham returned once more to the family estate the next year to paint Palm Leaf Shade (1888) (Figure 4), the final of his three known portraits of Mrs. James Thomas Birch. Unique among these portraits is Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch (Figure 1). While most of the portraits Bingham completed of the Nelson and Birch families are executed in traditional styles, such as the marriage pendant portraits, Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch is an image of a pregnant wife-already a mother of seven-where none of the expected trappings of motherhood and domesticity are present, but only obliquely referred to in the form of a symbolic flowering plant. Closer analysis will reveal that Bingham's choices in portraying Mrs. Birch's identity allowed him to leverage her status in a subtle commentary on the future of the American Nation and its western frontier. 17 Robert Dyer, Boonville: An Illustrated History (Boonville, Missouri: Pekitanoui Publications, 1987), 51. Found in the object files on Forest Hill at Utah's Museum of Fine Arts. 18 Dyer, Boonville: An Illustrated History, 51. 7 Donated to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts by living relatives of the Nelson and Birch families, this half-length portrait depicts Margaret Eliza Nelson Birch standing near a column which supports the porch to her estate, Forest Hill. Mrs. Birch wears a modest, black longsleeved dress with a white lace collar, a style typical of maternity clothes for Victorian women.19 Her hair is neatly made up in a bun. On her dress are two of the eight flowers Bingham includes in composition. The remaining six flowers can be found in the garden pot just beside her. According to Robert Dyer, each flower represents one of Mrs. Birch's healthy children, with the flower still in bloom apparently symbolizing the child she is expecting.20 Mrs. Birch's body is shown in three-quarter view, aside from her head, which turns to face out towards the viewer. With a slight smile, Mrs. Birch confidently matches the viewer's gaze while she grasps a few of the flowers with her right hand. Her left hand rests on the flower pot, conspicuously displaying her rings, demonstrating her position as a wealthy woman of marriage. By way of underscoring the unique choices Bingham made in his portrayal of Mrs. Birch as a mother, consider a piece completed several years prior, Bingam's portrait of his own wife and son, Portrait of Sarah and Newton (1841) (Figure 10). Here we find a more traditional representation of a woman's identity as a mother. Sarah Elizabeth holds Newton on her lap, her cheek gently resting on his temple. The lack of detail surrounding the mother and child provides very minimal indication of space or setting. Instead, the portrait seems to particularly concentrate on Sarah's identity as a nurturing maternal figure. The pair face towards the viewer, but while Newton's furrowed brow suggests the child's active cognitive engagement with the world, Sarah's gaze is, by comparison passive and emotionless. Newton is not slouched but maintains 19 Ellen Plante, Women at Home in Victorian America: A Social History (New York City, New York: Facts on File, 1997), 126. 20 Dyer, Booneville An Illustrated History, 51. 8 an active posture, his hand laying intently on his mother's. Sarah Elizabeth is a mother, her identity wholly defined by her relationship with her child. Mrs. Birch, by contrast, is placed in an identifiable landscape-at her family estate, Forest Hill-with none of her children directly pictured. The composition in Bingham's portrait of Mrs. Birch is balanced, perhaps conveying the ease at which she has created an environment fit for the cultivation of a successful family and the surrounding nature. Although it is asymmetrical, either side of the composition is given equal attention and purpose. Mrs. Birch occupies nearly a third of the composition with her placement in the foreground. Just behind and to her right, the column in the middle ground encompasses the left third of the painting while the landscape in the background fills the right third of the composition. With these thirds, Bingham conveys a gradual recession back into the illusionistic deep space he has created. A sense of depth is also conveyed through the color palette and paint application. The upper portion of the sky behind Mrs. Birch is a semi-transparent, a relatively unsaturated blue. Just behind the top of Mrs. Birch's head, the blue gradually shifts to a more greyish yellow, with the most yellow part being at the horizon line. Also at the horizon line are what appear to be hazy, blue mountains, adhering to traditional ways of depicting atmospheric perspective in which landscapes from a far distance are not in focus take on a blue tint. The far trees and grass are similarly depicted to be at a far distance. As the eye moves closer to the space of the foreground, the colors become more highly saturated and the details of the surrounding greenery more in focus. Bingham gives as much attention to Mrs. Birch as he does her surroundings. By idealizing the frontier in a convincingly naturalistic way, the background becomes an active compositional component that performs the persuasive promise for success that life on the frontier offers. Bingham here seems to suggest a conditional prosperity, only available to those who raise the 9 land with the same respect and aptitude a mother raises her children. Bingham paints in such a way that the presence of the oil paint as the medium is forgotten. His soft brush strokes, which are only visible upon close examination, create indistinct contour lines. Rather than having a strong delineating mark that separates one form from another, they seamlessly merge with each other throughout the composition. Bingham's application of paint offers few visual cues to remind the viewer that they are looking at an illusion. The viewer is not meant to be reminded of the material nature of the painting, but instead, lose themselves in the illusion that Bingham has masterfully created. By utilizing this technique, Bingham convincingly naturalizes what he is idealizing, asking the viewer to suspend the knowledge that the painting is an illusion, and therefore, inherently idealized due to his intimate ties to the land. The lighting in the painting is consistent with what could be found in nature. It lacks any dramatic contrasts between the light and dark areas of the composition. Subsequently, the lighting becomes an aid to appreciating other aspects of the composition rather one of the main components to convey emotion or meaning. The areas that receive the most light are the face of Mrs. Birch, her hands, and the flowers on her dress. The bright pink of the flowers, echoed by her rosy cheeks, stands out from the relatively darker foreground. The passages mostly in shadow are at the bottom right of the composition, making it difficult, despite their position in the foreground, to determine any specific details. The use of a more natural light hides how much Bingham has idealized the scene. Ellen M. Plante's book, Women at Home in Victorian America: A Social History, explores the life and expectations of a Victorian woman in America. Specifically, she provides a look at the middle-class women who were "expected to live their lives comforting work-weary husbands, devoting themselves to molding young children into moral, upright citizens and fashioning homes that were at once a retreat from the outside world as well as cultural inventory 10 of refinement, social standing, intellect and honor."21 Consequently, the home was seen as the woman's distinct domain. Acting as "gatekeepers to all that was good and beautiful in the world," Plante points out that it was the woman's responsibility to ensure that the home would be a nurturing environment that guarded the family against the dangers of the world.22 Portraits of a Victorian American woman would typically depict her within the home, allowing her to display her accomplishment of creating a successful domestic environment for the nurturing of her family. Charles West Cope's 1862 portrait of a Victorian family, A Life Well Spent (Figure 11), illustrates traditional representations of the ideal expectations for women in the nineteenth century. In Cope's portrait, a young mother, wearing a similar style of dress to Mrs. Birch, is surrounded by her four children. She busies herself with her knitting while two of her children look keenly at her for guidance. Returning their gaze with firm yet loving eyes, she conveys a calming and nurturing strength. The scene takes place within the home, her domestic environment, which she has carefully constructed to be conducive to the growth and development of her children. Emphasized by the title, the painting illustrates the fulfilling nature of a mother's successful rearing of her children. For a woman in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a "life well spent" was constructed as one faithfully devoted to shaping successful and contributing members of society. A Life Well Spent follows the dominant pattern of belief regarding women's place in a developing American society from 1820-1860. According to Barbara Welter in her article, "The Cult of True Womanhood," women were expected to be the stabilizing force in a society where 21 22 Plante, Woman at Home in Victorian America, 11. Ibid., 35. 11 "values changed frequently, fortunes rose and fell with frightening rapidity, and where social and economic mobility provided instability as well as hope."23 For a woman to satisfy her role as a "True Woman," she was required to embody four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity.24 Women at this time were constantly reminded that their power came primarily from the degree to which they fulfilled their duties within the home. From her position in the domestic environment of the home, she was to champion religion as her guiding force to better herself and her family. Concordant to these beliefs of a woman's inherent nature and essential position within the home came the development of what historian Linda Kerber has termed "Republican Motherhood."25 During the American revolution, women promoted the boycott of British goods, indirectly aiding the patriotic cause for freedom.26 Following the war, men were forced to navigate the degree of participation women will have in this new democratic society. Born from an increasing evolution of a self-proclaimed inclusivity of the American democracy, the position of a Republican Mother offered a solution to the growing concern of the inevitable relationship between politics and domesticity for women.27 Women were persuaded to cherish their established domestic roles through a formula designed to, according to Linda Kerber, "integrate domestic and political behavior to mask political purpose by promoting domestic service." Like the Spartan Mother who raised sons prepared to sacrifice themselves to the good of the polis, 23 Barbara Welter, "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860," American Quarterly 18.2 (1966): 151-152. Welter, "The True Cult of Womanhood," 152. 25 Kerber coined the term Republican Motherhood in the 1980's to describe this classification of the political role of a woman within her domestic environment. Kerber, "Women of the Republic," In Toward an Intellectual History of Women: Essays by Linda K. Kerber (New York: Oxford University Press), 202. 26 Plante, Women at Home in Victorian America, 36. 27 Kerber, "Women of the Republic," 202. 24 12 women were comforted in their domestic pursuits with the promise that their devotion to home and family fostered a prosperous democratic society.28 Returning to Charles West Cope's A Life Well Spent, the mother figure represents the ideal Republican Mother. As previously mentioned, the woman is surrounded by her four young children. Her hands are occupied with knitting tools while a book lays open in her lap. Beneath her, a child rests their arm on a baby bassinette. The child's other hand guides her eyes through the book positioned on her lap. This reflection of activity illustrates the mother's profound impact on her children. Just as she now sits, encircled by her children, so too will her daughter. Moreover, the mother was not just expected to raise pious, pure, and humble daughters, but sons prepared to participate in a world she was largely barred from entering.29 The mother's direct eye contact with her eldest son portrays this societal expectation. Although she could not publicly participate in politics, she was expected to educate her sons on the Republican values essential to the growth of a prosperous society. This was the extent of a woman's influence until the women's suffrage in the early twentieth century, but was intended to be sufficient to assuage any desire for more access to the political sphere. George Caleb Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch (Figure 1) offers none of the traditional markers of Victorian motherhood that can be observed in Cope's A Life Well Spent or his own Portrait of Sarah and Newton. Mrs. Birch's many children-indeed, her pregnancy itself-are only symbolically referenced in the blooms of the plant that she cultivates. More notable is the subject's placement on the porch of her estate, opening onto a vista of the Missouri frontier beyond. Instead of simply being an image of a successful Victorian woman, the 28 29 Ibid., 202. Welter, "The Cult of True Womanhood," 152. 13 Missourian wilderness behind Mrs. Birch suggests something of the political context of Westward Expansion. In agreement with Whig ideology, George Caleb Bingham strongly opposed the aggressive nature in which he believed the Democratic party sought for the acquisition of land in the West. He believed a more peaceful approach; one in which the West would not be conquered, but rationally tamed. Cristina Klee suggests that many of Bingham's genre scenes, "filter manifest destiny through [this] Whig sensibility, for instead of picturing the rugged individual and the self-reliant frontiersman of Jacksonian persuasion" he portrays a frontier domesticated by a nurturing mother. 30 In Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch (Figure 1), we see the cultivated West, conquered not by "virulent manhood or violent conflict" but instead, tamed with "cultured homes and families" subduing the landscape with domesticity.31 The Missourian landscape behind Mrs. Birch contains no sense of threat or danger many easterners commonly associated with the rough frontier. Instead, the West he constructs is peaceful and pastoral. The estate, an oasis carefully tucked within the comfort of the Missourian wilderness, provides the seemingly ideal setting for Mrs. Birch to raise her growing family. By 1850, women's rights were a highly visible and controversial issue in America. In her article "The Balcony and the Street: Gender, Virtue, and Politics in George Caleb Bingham's Antebellum America," Wynne Moskon argues that many of Bingham's genre scenes capture "the cultural tensions at play in American democracy" in the later part of the nineteenth century.32 In this article, Moskon examines the performance of gender specifically in Bingham's 30 Klee, "Happy Family," 64. Ibid., 64. 32 Wynne Moskop, "The Balcony and the Street: Gender, Virtue, and Politics in George Caleb Bingham's Antebellum America," American Quarterly 65, no. 2, (2013): 357. 31 14 Verdict of the People. Bingham's Verdict of the People, painted in 1854 (Figure 12), depicts a chaotic street in the aftermath of an election. The clerk can be seen to the left of the composition reading the results to a crowd of mostly white males. In the top right, a grouping of women can be seen, albeit from a slightly removed space. Nonetheless, they are shown to be actively participating and the public scene. According to Moskon, Bingham was aware of the attempt by women to carve out more public space for themselves. Moskon claims that Bingham's noticeable placement of the women on the balcony above the scene transpiring below is not meant to show them as separate, but speaks to their growing activity in politics. If in Verdict of the People Bingham used spatial location to raise questions about gender roles, how might we understand the artist's placement of Mrs. Birch on her porch, away from the more traditional trappings of motherhood and domesticity? Perhaps this choice of location, too, has political implication. This is not to say that Bingham was supportive of the plight for women's suffrage, in fact, the Whig party as a whole generally opposed such pursuits. However, as seen in Verdict of the People, Bingham was clearly attuned to such discussions. The Whig attitude toward domesticity and the frontier that seems to inform Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch is nowhere present in George Caleb Bingham's other known portraits of Margaret Birch. In 1870, the Nelson family commissioned Bingham to paint the marriage portraits of Margaret Nelson and James Thomas Birch (Figures 7 and 8). Bingham's presentation of Margaret Nelson in her 1870 stays comfortably within the contemporary conventions for marriage portraiture.33 Rather than a combined portrait, Mr. and Mrs. Birch are shown in 33 Susie L. Steinbach, Understanding the Victorians: Politics, Culture, and Society in Nineteenth-century Britain (Milton: Taylor and Francis, 2012). 15 separate compositions. If placed side-by-side, the two would mirror and face each other. There appears to be an effort to not only document the union, but the prosperity marriage through their elegant clothes and jewelry. Like her husband, Mrs. Birch confidently returns the gaze of the viewer. This same confidence is a trait Bingham carries over to both of his later portraits of Margaret Nelson Birch, but manifests it differently. Palm Leaf Shade (1877-78) (Figure 4) is the last of three known portraits George Caleb Bingham completed of Margaret Nelson Birch. Though dated roughly the same year as Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch (1877) (Figures 3 and 17), Palm Leaf Shade arguably depicts a different interpretation of Margaret Nelson's personality and identity. In all three portraits of Margaret Birch, Bingham emphasizes her confidence and grace. While these characteristics also translate in Palm Leaf Shade, George Caleb Bingham seems to also portray a woman who is unattached, young, and carefree. These qualities contrast with the stoic and firm attributes of a wife and mother highlighted in Bingham's earlier portraits of Margaret Birch. The absence of any motherhood symbols enables a further appreciation of Margaret Nelson outside of her role as a mother. She becomes a symbol of woman without an overt connection to the duties of a wife or mother. George Caleb Bingham fashions the identity of Margaret Nelson Birch from his critical attention to her physical attributes, clothing, and accessories in Palm Leaf Shade. Mrs. Birch is again depicted in a half-length portrait, her head facing towards the viewer and her body turned slightly away. Yet, it is a very different pose than in Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch. She is sitting and seemingly caught spontaneously rather than "posing" for a portrait. She looks out at the viewer with a slight smile on her face. Again, this smile seems to be captured in the moment. There is a weightlessness in her expression. She appears fuller and more joyous, her eyes open and welcoming. In sharp contrast to Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, Margaret Nelson is 16 shown wearing a light, frilly dress with a plunging neckline. Additionally, Margaret Nelson's hair is neatly in a bun underneath a large pink hat with a long feather that hangs just below the brim. In Palm Leaf Shade, George Caleb Bingham's attention to Mrs. Birch's clothing and accessories conveys a much different sense of her identity. Bingham's meticulous attention to the details of Mrs. Birch's dress and accessories emphasizes her family's affluence. Though articulated with much looser brush strokes, there appears to be desire to capture the lightness and elegance of her dress. The technique by which Bingham's brush strokes delineate shapes and forms with a sense of ease emphasizes the portrait's encompassing etherealness. In her right hand, Mrs. Birch delicately holds a fan in the shape of a palm leaf. Pamela Nunn describes the transformation of the fan into fine-art object in the late nineteenth century. According to Nunn, "The fan transitioned from a tool of feminine adornment to a vehicle for avant-gardism between the 1870's and the 1920's."34 As evidenced in James Whister's Symphony in White, no.2 (1864) and Mary Cassatt's In the Loge (1879), the fan became a popular accessory in portraiture of women. It symbolized an exoticism, originating from its roots in Japonisme.35 It must be noted that the painting is aptly titled, Palm Leaf Shade, to bring attention to its pivotal function in the composition in the portrayal of Margaret Birch. Whether Bingham was knowingly participating in this avant-garde movement, or merely capturing Margaret Birch's own stylistic decisions, the presence of the fan brings with it the connotations of exoticism and curiosity. Despite proceeding both portraits of Mrs. Birch as wife and mother, most of the delineating symbolism of such identities are absent in this portrait. The flowers she held before are replaced by a fan, removing any symbolism of motherhood. Additionally, the dress she wears 34 35 Pamela Nunn, "Fine Art and the Fan 1860-1930," Journal and Design History, Vol. 17, No. 3 (2004): 251. Nunn, "Fine Art and the Fan 1860-1930," 251. 17 changes from one with connotations of motherhood to one without such identifiable categorization. Like Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, Palm Leaf Shade again depicts Margaret Nelson in an outdoor environment, but one that cannot as easily be identified. She appears to be sitting in a carriage which follows a path that proceeds back into the foreground on her left. She is surrounded by a blue sky with several trees along the horizon. The lighting in the composition is meant to simulate natural light from the sun, and subsequently emphasize the importance of the palm leaf shade. Mrs. Birch delicately holds the fan to directly manipulate the lighting on her face and upper body, creating a shadow. Additionally, an intense highlight is shown on her forehead from where the fan does not quite cover the entirety of the sun's rays. The direct light on the dress accentuates the lace, allowing an intricacy of detail. In the variety of modes in which Bingham portrays Margaret Nelson Birch-whether as a wife (Figure 7), a mother (Figure 1), or a carefree woman (Figure 4)-the artist evinces a willingness to mold Mrs. Birch's identity to suit the needs (or perhaps whims) of his practice. Further light may be shed on the ideological underpinnings of his Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch when considered alongside its pendant: Bingham's "portrait" of the family estate, Forest Hill (Figure 2). Painted in the same year as the Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, Robert Dyer suggests that Forest Hill connects to the portrait of Mrs. Birch by establishing a narrative of the growth of family. Painted in August of 1877, Dyer suggests that the flower still in bloom in Bingham's portrait of Mrs. Birch, now presumably has bloomed.36 According to Dyer's interpretation, the large estate and the growing family housed within showcases the potential for success both in family life as well as economic endeavors that Missouri offers. 36 Dyer, Booneville An Illustrated History, 51. 18 The estate in Boonville, Missouri, recognized today as a primary example of American Classical Revival style, was occupied at the time of the portrait by the family of Mrs. Birch (Figure 16). Built by her father, Thomas Withers Nelson, the house sits along the banks of the Missouri River. From 1830 until 1850, the Classical Revival style was the dominant style of American domestic architecture.37 The Nelson House exhibits most of the features which identified the style, such as a cornice line emphasized by wide trim, Doric columns, and an elaborate door.38 William H. Truettner points out that, "The Georgian style house represents the utmost in middle-class respectability."39 The two-story salmon-colored house can be seen through an opening of trees that frame it on either side. The estate is enclosed by a white fence that cuts diagonally through the composition, delineating the grounds around the house from the dirt road just outside. Surrounding the estate are several groupings of figures, both human and animal, as well as a small house slightly recessed into the pictorial space. Much, if not half, of the composition, is occupied by the open sky with a few scattered clouds. The house is shown from a three-quarter view, with the front of the house facing a setting sun just beyond the left frame of the composition. The shadows cast on the figures as well as the house acknowledge the position of the sun by their extension out to the right. Truettner suggests, "The spacious estate portrays a comfortable, respectable way of life, one that would be impressive by eastern standards (and indeed might look eastern, except for the presence of cattle 37 United States, Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Washington: U.S. NPS, 1989). Found in the object files on Forest Hill at Utah's Museum of Fine Arts. 38 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. 39 William H. Truettner, The West as America: Reinterpreting Images of the Frontier 1820-1920 (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991), 205. 19 in the yard)."40 Despite being partially hidden by a grove of trees, the house is not shown to be in shadow, but instead receives the most amount of light. The direct light of the sun illuminates the white columns of the house, bringing attention to the Nelson family's architectural and real property. The painting of the house becomes a tribute to the enduring (and eastern-patterned) gentility of the family's way of life.41 By painting a home so closely patterned from one that could commonly be found in the east, and highlighting its unfamiliar, rugged terrain, clearly identified by the Missouri River, the artist suggests that the same refinements and luxuries that they appreciate in the east are also available on the frontier. The setting sun bathes the whole scene in a warm golden glow, adding to the feeling of serenity. On the left, the sky is shown to be more golden, but transitions to blue, with the deepest moments of blue being to the far right of the composition. The complementary nature of the orange color of the house and the blue sky above presents an interesting moment of energy. The saturation of the colors, however, being quite low, creates less of a sense of tension that often accompanies complementary colors, but more of a feeling of excitement. As a whole, the contrasting nature of the colors work to create a calmness as well as intrigue and anticipation of what is to come. The figures that surround the estate present a similar juxtaposition of tranquility and excitement. In the central foreground a small grouping of figures, a woman and two children, sit on the grass. The woman in a blue dress is Polly Lee, the family's nurse. She sits with her back towards the viewer as she tends to two small Birch children.42 They are seated, but not languidly. The boy turns away from the two figures in which he is near and instead faces the horse-drawn 40 Truettner, The West as America: Reinterpreting images of the Frontier, 205. Truettner, 205. 42 Dyer, Boonville: An Illustrated History, 51. 41 20 carriage just outside the estate. The carriage supposedly belongs to the resident doctor, here to attend the birth of James Erskine Birch.43 The arrival of a carriage is being announced by a dog just outside the estate's fence. To the left of Polly Lee and the two children, two cows, one laying down and the other standing, face in the direction of the carriage. The relaxed positions of the cows seem to directly contrast the horses opposite them. Each horse carries a person on its back. The male rider appears to look either at the woman next to him or back at the carriage. Regardless, a triangle of gazes is created from the cows, the man on the horse and the central grouping of figures in the foreground. These gazes work to bring attention back to the carriage to signal that it is a critical element of the composition. Understood by Dyer as belonging to a doctor, the carriage's presence identifies the scene transpiring to be the birth of James Erskine, the new addition to the Birch family.44 This presentation of a successful family narrative exists in a larger celebration of life on the frontier. The deep perspective displays the beauty of the frontier lands as well as showcasing the Missouri River, the lifeblood for many communities. The lack of detail in the foreground draws the eye back into the space of the land, speaking to the potential of growth and development not just of the family, but of the frontier as well. The presence of the smaller house to the left creates a sense of community, showing that while Forest Hill exists in nature it is nevertheless not isolated in it. All of these elements combine to create a highly idealized scene of a successful family living on the Missourian frontier. In George Caleb Bingham's Forest Hill, the Missouri River in placed in close proximity to the estate. Almost right at the river's shoreline, the estate appears to benefit from direct access 43 44 Dyer, 51. Truettner, The West as America, 205. 21 to the powerful symbol of the Missourian frontier. Without this icon, the Greek Revival style home could be mistaken for one in the east. However, the presence of the river immediately identifies the triumphant estate as being of Missourian origin. This could explain why Bingham took the liberty to manipulate the surrounding geography. In reality, the Missouri River flows more than a mile away from the Birch estate (Figure 15).45 Additionally, the river cannot be seen from the house as it is covered by lush forest and scattered settlements. The inclusion of the river, a vehicle for economic prosperity for not only the frontier but the nation as a whole, immediately adds splendor and magnificence to the estate. George Caleb Bingham's larger painted compositions of life on the frontier were distributed and made accessible across the country through prints by accomplished printmaker, John Sartain. These highly distributed representations of life on the frontier portray a western frontier that is at once new and familiar to an eastern perspective. In her article discussing the function of Bingham's frontier genre scenes, Angela Miller argues, "Bingham's art and his political involvements were related expressions of a single ambition around which he focused his career - the cultural and economic integration of the West within the nation."46 In addition to Bingham's paintings depicting the democratic process at work on the frontier, he completed several scenes of frontiersman on the Missouri River. The river was considered by many to be the lifeblood of Missouri. However, not only did the river offer many avenues of economic success to surrounding communities, Bingham was a strong advocate of the importance of what Archey calls, "these flowing highways to national economic growth."47 This painting, and ones 45 I thank Leslie Anderson, former curator of European, American, and Regional Art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, for pointing this out to me. 46 Angela Miller, "The Mechanisms of the Market and the Invention of Western Regionalism: The Example of George Caleb Bingham," Oxford Art Journal 15 (1992): 3. 47 Richard Archey, "Politics in Art: The Example of the American Frontier Artist George Caleb Bingham," 65. 22 of similar nature by Bingham, often dramatize the grandeur of the waterway to argue for the importance of Missouri's acceptance by the Union. Bingham showcases this belief in several genre scenes along the river. One such painting is The Jolly Flatboatmen (1846) (Figure 13) which depicts a group of merry figures along a flatboat on the Missouri river. The central figure dances at the apex of the triangular composition while a fiddler plays a tune below. According to Miller, the pyramidal structure of the composition highlights properties of "restraint, stability, balance, order, and hierarchy."48 These properties paralleled the ideal social motives of the Whig party. The scene represents and celebrates the allure of the Missouri river. The men in the composition are unrefined but hardworking. The ease at which they occupy the active waterway suggests the frequency in which they engage in their common goal of the preservation and growth of the union. Like most of the Whig party, Bingham's dedicated belief of the importance of stable waterways greatly influenced his depictions of the Missouri River. His scenes of the river often balance a hopeful perspective of what the river could be with proper funding, and the reality of less than ideal circumstances. Bingham's Lighter Relieving a Steamboat Aground (1847) (Figure 14) which shows a steamboat in the distance that had recently gone aground, exemplifies his campaign for these funds. In the foreground, the confident and self-sufficient flatboat men return from rescuing the steamboat. Bingham's depiction of this scene accomplishes two primary objectives: showing the federal government the integral role the Missouri river plays to the country's economy as a major 48 Miller, "The Mechanisms of the Market," 10. 23 water highway for the transportation of goods, and the need to keep such an important highway clear of obstructions like those that caused this steamboat to run aground. The presence of the Missouri river at once elevates and exaggerates the success of the Birch family, implying that it is in part thanks to the river that they can enjoy such a comfortable life. Bingham's Forest Hill communicates the idea that this type of prosperous living is available to all those who live on the Missourian frontier. His calculated placement of the river within the composition of Forest Hill activates the Birch family as benefactors of such a powerful waterway. Their success becomes partly linked to the river. George Caleb Bingham captures the familial estate while promoting his political narrative of the Whig philosophy of government spending on waterways for the economic growth of the union. In addition to George Caleb Bingham's portraits of Mrs. Birch, he also painted two known portraits of Margaret Nelson Birch's mother, Mary Gay Wyan Nelson. The first portrait of Mary Gay Wyan, Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson (1844-1845), most likely represents one of the earliest interactions Bingham had with the Nelson and Birch families. As mentioned, Bingham was traveling across central Missouri during this time painting portraits of wealthy families.49 These portraits of husband and wife, Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson (Figure 5) and Thomas Withers Nelson (Figure 6), were most likely commissioned by the family to document their wealth and status. The portraits are relatively simple, but appear to pay special attention to capturing likenesses of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson and the respectable clothes they wear. 49 Bryan, "George Caleb Bingham, The Artist as Whig Politician," 449. 24 Portrait of Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson (1877) (Figures 3 and 17) is the second portrait that George Caleb Bingham painted of Mary Gay Wyan Nelson, and sheds additional light on the eastern-focused vision of the west that Bingham wanted to create in his depiction of this successful Missourian family. As a product of the same visit in which Bingham painted the portrait of her daughter, Mrs. James Thomas Birch, the portrait of Mrs. Mary Gay Wyan Nelson presents another example of a woman who is culturally refined, yet exists freely and comfortably in the untamed frontier. Bingham utilizes a variety of formal and compositional techniques such as her dress, location and lighting elements that characterize Mrs. Nelson as a beneficiary of the frontier. Additionally, the viewer is positioned next to Mrs. Nelson, equally participating in the activity of horseback riding. George Caleb Bingham's visual decisions in regards to the character of Mary Gay Wyan contribute to the presentation of the potential of the frontier. Mrs. Nelson sits with her body shown at a three-quarter view, her face turns toward the viewer. She holds the gaze of the viewer with a slight smile. Her hair is neatly made up into a bun, displaying the ornate earrings she wears. Similar to the portrait of her daughter, Mrs. Nelson wears a long-sleeved black dress. However, while Mrs. Margaret Birch wears a style distinctly understood as a maternity dress, Mrs. Nelson sports a style equally as recognizable as a tailored riding habit. According to Alison David, while both fashions utilize a long, black garment, the riding habit was, "… a paradoxical garment. It was a fashionable anti-fashion statement, masculine and feminine. While on horseback, the fair equestrian shunned the lace, frills and furbelows worn by her pedestrian sisters."50 The lace that is visible at Mrs. Birch's neck and wrists in Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, is replaced by a solid white collar and cuffs. This adheres to the style of dress 50 Alison Matthews David, "Elegant Amazons: Victorian Riding Habits and Fashionable Horsewoman," Victorian Literature and Culture Vol. 30, No. 1 (2002): 179. 25 typically associated with horseback riding. Additionally, Mrs. Nelson does not have any embellishments on her dress, such as flowers or a necklace. The dress itself is given little detail except for the string of black buttons that cut down the front. Like the fan in Palm Leaf Shade, the riding habit represents an attempt by Bingham to show that the Nelson and Birch families were in-touch with the fashions of the east. George Caleb Bingham positions Mrs. Mary Nelson within the Missourian wilderness, suggesting her access to space outside the domesticated environment of the home. Her clothing and poise suggests that while she is in nature, she is engaging in an activity appropriate to her position of wealth. She occupies the right of the painting's composition, her body framed by two large trees. Though it is difficult to discern much detail, the hunting crop which Mrs. Nelson holds indicates she is riding sidesaddle on a horse along a dirt path. To Mrs. Nelson's right, the path is shown cutting through the forest. Along the path, the head of a horse can be seen, its body obscured from view by a blasted tree. Underneath the horse's head, a small dog, sits on the path. Though her own horse cannot be seen, the presence of this second horse not only hints to her own position atop a horse, but the proximity of additional riding partners. The forest is another active component of the composition. Bingham depicts the grouping of trees in such a way that they are mysterious and attractive. They appear to entirely consume the remaining space around Mrs. Nelson. The trees are individualized and given character. They are allowed to encompass the subject without devouring her. Bingham portrays the forest as simultaneously intriguing and wild as a demystification of the Missourian frontier. It is wild, yet alluring. A symbiotic relationship is created between the forest and Mrs. Nelson. The forest provides her the space to respectably participate in activities outside of the domestic environment of the home. Additionally, her presence in the forest functions to foreground the approachability of the wild, new frontier. 26 As is the case in Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, the majority of light in Portrait of Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson is focused on the subject's face. The interplay of light and shadow suggests a natural light breaking through the leaves of the trees down to the subject below. The composition is diagonally broken into two triangles, one of light and one of shadow. The subtle shifts of black which compose her dress are offset by high points of contrast in Mrs. Nelson's face. The rosiness in Mrs. Nelson's cheeks matches that of her daughters as well as the highlights which are present in both subjects' eyes. The similar treatment of the faces of Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Birch in their respective portraits indicates the closeness and familiarity of the mother and daughter. Before the path exits the composition, it is given a large amount of light. Bingham consistently argued for the importance and promise of the Missourian frontier to the Union.51 The light on the path possibility suggests this hope Bingham had for the utilization of the frontier towards the economic growth of the Union. George Caleb Bingham's Portrait of Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson is another moment in his which his political message of the potential and promise of the American frontier highly influenced his portraiture. The portrait not only continues to solidify Bingham's close relationship with the Nelson family, but works as advertisement for life in Missouri, one familiar to his east coast audience. She is not shown surrounded by children and the walls of her domestic environment, but in a wild and untamed Missourian wilderness, made genteel by her presence. Mrs. Nelson's presentation of self, as a respectable woman, her position as an active subject in the composition, and her location within the forest collectively contribute to this narrative of expanding possibilities for a cultivated frontier. 51 Richard Archey, "Politics in Art: The Example of the American Frontier Artist George Caleb Bingham," 65. 27 George Caleb Bingham's activation of the Nelson and Birch families in his political pursuits result in portraits that dually function as records of the individuals and the promise of the frontier. In Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch, Bingham celebrates an ideal for westward expansion through his characterization of Mrs. Birch. Her successful family, symbolized by the flowers she holds, provides a testament to her achievements, but more importantly, illustrates the respect and wisdom one must have when raising the untamed frontier. It is clear that Bingham's beliefs, primarily Whig in nature, had a significant impact on his characterization of Mrs. James Thomas Birch and her Forest Hill estate. In the degree to which the successful family life is showcased, and the Missouri wilderness tamed, Bingham presents a highly idealized interpretation of Missouri. Bingham, seeming to claim absolute authenticity through his naturalistic idealization of the frontier, gives viewers an intimate look at the undeveloped land. Seeing through his eyes, the viewer witnesses not the rugged, distasteful Missouri that was often constructed in the imagination of those in the east, but one of the utmost respectability and comfort. He presents a frontier not to be conquered, but domesticated. Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch offers a bastion for the promise of America's future as a prosperous, peaceful land in which families like the Birches are enabled to flourish and thrive. 28 Figures Figure 1: George Caleb Bingham, Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch (Margaret Eliza Nelson), 1877. 40 x 30. Utah Museum of Fine Arts. 29 Figure 2: George Caleb Bingham, Forest Hill, 1877-78. 22 x 27. Utah Museum of Fine Arts. 30 Figure 3: George Caleb Bingham, Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson (Mary Gay Wyan), 1877. 40 x 30. Boonville Public Library, Boonville, Missouri. 31 Figure 4: George Caleb Bingham, Palm Leaf Shade, 1877-78. 26 x 22.5. Private collection of Mr. George W. Stier, Lexington, Missouri. 32 Figure 5: George Caleb Bingham, Mrs. Thomas Withers Nelson (Mary Gay Wyan), 1844-45. 29 x 24. Art Gallery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. 33 Figure 6: George Caleb Bingham, Thomas Withers Nelson, 1844-45. 29 x 24. Private collection of Mrs. Roger D. Prosser (Barbara Birch), Englewood, New Jersey. 34 Figure 7: George Caleb Bingham, Mrs. James Thomas Birch (Margaret Eliza Nelson), 1870. 26.5 x 21.5. Private collection of Mrs. Margaret Anne Putnam, Fairfax County, Virginia. 35 Figure 8: George Caleb Bingham, James Thomas Birch, 1870. 26.5 x 21.5. Private Collection of Mr. Nelson A. Reed, St. Louis, Missouri. 36 Figure 9: George Caleb Bingham, The County Election, 1854. 38 x 52. Saint Louis Art Museum. 37 Figure 10: George Caleb Bingham, Portrait of Sarah and Newton, 1841. 35 x 28 in. 38 Figure 11: Charles West Cope, A Life Well Spent, 1862. 16 x 20. 39 Figure 12: George Caleb Bingham, Verdict of the People, 1854. 45.9 x 55. 40 Figure 13: George Caleb Bingham, The Jolly Flatboatmen, 1846. 38 x 48.5. National Gallery of Art, Washington. 41 Figure 14: George Caleb Bingham, A Lighter Relieving a Steamboat Aground, 1847. 42 Figure 15: Central Map Co., City of Boonville, 1897. 43 Figure 16: Forest Hill, Boonville, Missouri, 2019, Authors Photo 44 Figure 17: Boonville Public Library, 2019, Author's Photo 45 APPENDIX SEPTEMBER 22, 2019 INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET ANDERSON, THE GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER OF MARGARET NELSON BIRCH 46 Emily Morrison: Let's begin be establishing the family history. I would love it if you could walk me back through your family tree. What is your relation to Margaret Nelson Birch? Margaret Anderson: My mother is the baby of Margaret Eliza's last born son, James. He is the baby being born in Forest Hill. Emily: Is it understood in your family that there is a connection between Forest Hill and Portrait of Mrs. James Thomas Birch? Margaret: Oh yeah, it's like it is a fact. Even though everyone in the painting has since passed, the family still understands that scene as the birth of my grandfather. Unfortunately, when people were still alive, there was no need to have any written form of verification to the narrative behind Forest Hill. We just simply understand Forest Hill to clearly represent the birth of my grandfather. The carriage shown just beyond the fence of the estate belongs to the doctor. And my great aunt Karie is the one that is riding off on that horse with her boyfriend. So my greatgrandmother is giving birth to my grandfather, the baby of those eight kids and Aunt Karie is trotting of with her boyfriend. Peculiar addition to the scene, don't you think? Emily: Why do you think Bingham chose to include Aunt Karie in this scene? Margaret: I am not sure whether that decision originated from Bingham or the family. It could have been Bingham's way of showing a time frame and presence of the family. But ultimately, I don't know. I wish I'd known him. There were a lot of funny stories about him. My mother always laughed and told the story of Margaret Eliza, this prim and proper little girl, and how she 47 was ready to announce her engagement to this lovely man, this painter, who was a good friend of the family. Bingham was invited to dinner at Forest Hill. During dinner the butler's sleeve caught on Bingham's toupee and ripped it right off of his head. Margaret Eliza subsequently fled in horror. The engagement was off. When my mother told me this story I thought, "I don't believe that. I think that is a bunch of bologna. She wouldn't have been that little a person, but I think she was too young. I think that is pure fabrication." Emily: You mentioned that Margaret was announcing her engagement to Bingham? I wasn't aware of any romantic ties there, is that how your family understands the main relationship between Bingham and the Nelson and Birch families? Margaret: No, I have always understood the relationship with Bingham to be a familial one. Bingham was nearly twenty years her senior. I do not believe there was any romantic understanding between Margaret Eliza and Bingham. Like I said, I truly believe that story about the butler pure fabrication. Emily: How much do you know about the personality of Margaret Eliza? Does your mother remember her at all or describe her in any certain way? Margaret: My mother called her "Nana". Margaret Eliza died in 1920. My mother was born in 1908. So she was eleven or twelve when Margaret Eliza died, but she remembered her grandmother as very proper. Everything about her was so proper. 48 Emily: How were the paintings passed down? Who had possession of them prior to Utah Museum of Fine Arts? Margaret: My grandfather had them, and he gave them to his daughters. He had three girls. The eldest daughter told my mother, just keep them. My mother told her other sister, "I will give you Cloverleaf and Aunt Anna's diamond ring if you give me full ownership of the paintings." Cloverleaf was a small property close to Boonville, Missouri in Bunceton. My aunt agreed. So my mother was the one that took care of the paintings. My mother just protected them, she knew that they were special. So her whole life was spent taking care of these paintings. I remember them being kept under the bed. Then she married my dad, a rancher in California. So she moved from St. Louis to Sacramento in 1937. The paintings, of course, moved with her. There were no locks on the doors at this new house. I remember freely being able to move in and out of the house. I never saw a key. I also doubt they had any form of fire insurance. And the paintings were just there for the taking or for the burning. And I do remember that when I was a little kid, my mother told us more than once, "If you smell smoke, grab a painting and run." Emily: Were the paintings still kept under the bed in Sacramento? Margaret: Oh no, from the moment she moved into that house in Sacramento, the paintings were up. Emily: Do you have memories of seeing the paintings on the walls? 49 Margaret: Oh yes, I don't remember not seeing them. And my brother did not like the portrait hanging on the walls. He always said, "She has those beady Birch eyes and they follow you. I walk in the front door and she watches me through the house." But those paintings were a part of growing up. My mother always had a bouquet of flowers in front of the portrait in the summer time. She had a painted pot on the table below this big portrait. It was a place of honor. That portrait of my great-grandmother was the focal point of the house. Emily: So she clearly knew the value of these paintings? Margaret: Oh yes, she knew. Despite conflicting opinions of family members that did not consider them valuable, she knew. Emily: How did the Utah Museum of Fine Arts get chosen? Margaret: So my father died in 1967. My mother moved off of the ranch then and back to St Louis. During this period of figuring out how to proceed with life, having just lost a husband, she contacted the de Young museum in San Francisco. They jumped at grabbing those paintings. They came up immediately and got them, and that is when the restoration occurred in Kansas City. They cleaned up a giant swipe mark that my mother inflicted upon the painting. You see, my mother had heard that you could use a potato to brighten the colors of the pigment. This, of course, resulted in a giant swipe across the upper left corner of the portrait. But, thankfully they were able to restore this and the paintings were sent to the de Young museum to be displayed for several years. They were on loan there. When it was time for my mother to make a decision of whether or not to sell them to the museum, she ultimately decided she wanted to keep them. 50 Emily: Where were the paintings kept during this time? Margaret: The two paintings traveled back up to Missouri to her house in Davis. And they stayed there for about thirty years. She was so proud of them. Whenever she would have people work on her house, be it: gardening, painting the house, or other odd jobs, she would show them the paintings. Well, at her death in 2003, we had no idea what to do with the paintings. My three siblings and I knew they needed to be secured in a museum. We contacted Crocker art museum in Sacramento. They were very interested, but only in the portrait because it had been signed by George Caleb Bingham. So we wrapped great-grandma up in a little cocoon and sent her to Sacramento for about four years. As the end of the loan contract was nearing, a close friend suggested that I look at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts as a home for both paintings. She was on the board and worked closely with the museum. She knew that they would want both paintings and could promise that they be hung in close proximity to one another. After a few months of deliberation with my siblings, we all agreed that the Utah museum would allow for the paintings to be properly cared for and appreciated. Emily: What do you think about Bingham's placement of the Missouri River in Forest Hill? Why was it shown to be in such falsified proximity to the house? Margaret: Oh, I think he had binoculars. The river is very clearly not that close to the house. The Missouri River was part of his life. All of those amazing paintings he did of folks on the river, maybe he was trying to form some type of connection with those. 51 Emily: Well, I would like to thank you for taking the time to meet and talk with me today. I really enjoyed hearing more about your family's experience and relationship with George Caleb Bingham. Especially how the paintings have been maintained and passed down all these years. Margaret: Yes, absolutely. It was a pleasure. Knowing the locations and distances these paintings have traveled since Bingham first painted them in Missouri simultaneously makes them seem ancient and new. They are not disconnected occurrences, but have been in my family and continue to shape many aspects of my family. 52 Bibliography Archey, Richard Louis. "Politics in Art: The Example of the American Frontier Artist George Caleb Bingham." PhD. diss., California State University, 2001. Bingham, George Caleb. An Address to the Public, Vindicating a Work of Art Illustrative of the Federal Military Policy in Missouri During the Late Civil War. Kansas City, Missouri, 1871. ___. "But I Forget That I am a Painter and Not a Politician": The Letters of George Caleb Bingham. 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