The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-03-08

ever, Chester Harding again came TO Boon
vile, noted the progress the boy had made and
strongly advised him TO concentrate on a career
as an artist More than that. he gave young
Bingham lessons and by the time he was nine
teen he had definitely decided upon painting as
his life work ST Louis. the metropolis of the
Mississippi valley seemed TO be the logical place
for studying art, so he set out 10 walk the 80
miles to that city. Near the end of his Journey
he fell i'll with the measles and took refuge in an
old log cabin, where he was tended by young
doctor and old negro woman until he recov-
cred. The attack of measles was so severe that
all of his hair fen out and never grew in again
Consequently he went through life wearing wig
which he fondly believed deceived everybody
even though il was nearly always awry.
Returning TO his home, emaciated but thankful
70 be alive he postponed temporarily his decision
10 study art in St Louis and began accepting
commissions 10 paint portraits. Although he had
some fair for licensees. he lacked a feeling for
color. So the portraits he produced contained
startling contrasts Of high light and deep shad-
ow. But the pioneers of that day were not highly
critical and since Bingham was swift worker,
able 10 turn out completed portrait in one day,
he was kept busy most of the time. The result
was hundreds of portraits and il was said that
ar one time almost every Missouri home of con-
sequence had its Bingham portraits the family
carriage, the family jewelry and the family bury
ing ground"
In 1884 Bingham went to Columbia Mo-. and
painted portraits of number of its leading eiti-
zens. among them young lawyer named James
S. Rollins. This marked an important milestone
in Binghams career, for ii the beginning Of
lifelong friendship between the two men Rol-
Inns lent Bingham 500 to enable him TO make
the long-delayed trip TO St Louis Although his
term of study there scarcely happy one
he poor that he slept wrapped in single
painting improved and he wrote glowing letters
10 the girl To whom he had become engaged.
Elizabeth Hutchinson of Boonvile. filed with
confidence in his future and promising 20 return
TO BoonviIle in the spring for their marriage. He
kept that promise and before the wedding he
built with his own hands the brick house in
Arrow Rock-the same house previously referred
TO as proposed shrine to the Confederacy.
In 1888 Bingham went to Philadelphia to study
In the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and
there his career began TO blossom into fun flow
He met many artists and had the oppor-
tunity of seeing many paintings. Not only did
he see the portraits by such masters as Gilbert
Stuart but he also saw descriptive or story pic
lures. technically known as genre painting
which appealed TO him strongly and in which he
began experimenting. He also continued his por-
trait painting and did pictures of all the ceebri-
ties he me1-Andrew Jackson John Quincy
Adams, Van Buren,. Calhoun, Buchanan and John
Howard Payne. composer of Home Sweer
Home"
Returning 10 Missouri six years later Bingham
started on his career as genre painter. The
fur-trading was drawing 10 close, were
other phases of frontier life. and America owes
a debt of gratitude 10 George Caleb Bingham for
preserving on canvas so much of ii before il was
gone forever About this time he painted his first
version of The Jolly Flatboatmenr There were
several later versionsl, one of his best-known
pictures
The next thing 10 which the versatile Bingham
turned his attention Was politics In a b0tly
contested election he seat in the Missouri
legislature by three vetes but his career as q