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JCHS Journal — Winter 2013 of two men responsible for increasing the southwestern trade.
looked final genre work, The Puzzled Witness.
The fifth of the six museum galleries is devoted to the effect of the Civil War’s tragedies as told through the stories behind individual portraits and through one of the finest engravings in existence of Martial Law or Order No. 11. Included in the display is a rediscovered portrait not seen since the early 1950s, Julia George, 1869/1870.
At the end of the courthouse exhibit, the viewer is asked, after reviewing the evidence in the life and art of George Caleb Bingham, what is the 21st century verdict?
In addition to fine examples of Bingham’s art in the 1870s, the final gallery presents an interpretation of Bingham’s usually over-
Artwork for the exhibition came from the collections of Kenneth B. and Cynthia McClain, the State Historical Society of MissouriColumbia and the personal collection of the art curator, Joan Stack; from the Jackson County Historical Society, and others.
Curator’s Commentary Like many Midwest natives who grew up around the paintings of George Caleb Bingham his artwork is part of the fabric of my being. I did not truly appreciate him until I returned home after 20 some years away. I was studying local history in primary sources and found it far more complex and puzzling than what I learned in school. I found answers to some of the puzzles in the faces and in the stories behind the portraits of George Caleb Bingham. I came to believe that art, even more than the written word, reveals a detailed and accurate picture of history. This idea changed my life. My belief applies to all art and history, worldwide, but it is the Midwest I know and love. I began to look for images of all Bingham portraits. It was in the pages of this very publication in September 2001, that David Jackson announced my “Bingham Portrait Patricia Moss
George Caleb Bingham, John Campbell, c. 1860
Project.” Jackson was also the person who searched for and found the first “lost” portrait, Judge Thomas Chevis, 1837. As a work of art, the portrait is exquisite. As history, the back story is that in the last days of the Civil War, Judge Chevis, a Union supporter, was shot in the back for his horse. His story is one of the hundreds of capricious violence at the western border where political affiliation justified personal gain – on both sides. To be qualified to pursue my passion, I returned to school and earned masters’ degrees in art history and history. I continued the portrait search and have found five new Bingham’s portraits and learned more about art, the artist and the history of the Midwest than I ever dreamed possible. The beauty of George Caleb Bingham’s artwork alone makes the museum a treasure deserving of international attention. But I hope those who take the time to read the display panels and labels find, too, that art, even more than the written word, can reveal a detailed and accurate picture of history. These are only some of the paintings; only some of the stories. Can you imagine how much can be seen and told over the years at the Jackson County Art Museum?
- Patricia Moss