Mississippi Boatman 1850

George Caleb Bingham painted 'Mississippi Boatman' with oil on canvas, though the precise date is unknown. What we can tell you is that Bingham was invested in representing the lives of everyday Americans, particularly those living and working along the great rivers of the United States. This painting presents a figure of the working class, enjoying a moment of leisure. The man's clothing marks him as a laborer, but his relaxed posture and the pipe in his mouth suggest a degree of self-possession. Bingham made these paintings at a time when American artists were keen to establish a distinctly national art, separate from European traditions. The focus on the common man was part of that project. The image romanticizes the ruggedness of frontier life, overlooking some of the economic realities and social inequalities of the period. Art historians use census records, newspaper archives, and other primary source material to better understand how this art reflected, but also shaped, the culture of its time. The meaning of Bingham’s ‘Mississippi Boatman’ is contingent on the historical context in which it was made and viewed.