In 1845 he returned to the house of his mother in Saline county, Missouri, and was for a time drawn into politics, and elected to represent that county in the State Legislature. At the expiration of his term of service there he turned once more to the practice of his art. No longer confining himself to portraiture he began a series of paintings, illustrating the life and customs of the Southwest, upon which his fame is chiefly founded and will permanently rest. The first of this series, "The Jolly Flatboatmen," was immediately selected by the Art Union of New York as especially representative of American art and life, and reproduced as its annual engraving and distributed among its members, giving it a wide and deserved popularity. This subject was treated by him many times, with modifications of size and number of figures and differing accessories, but always with breezy out-of-door freshness, and a true spirit of abandon on the part of the "brawny sons of toil," enjoying their leisure hours in music and dancing, while their primitive craft is carrying them swiftly down the current of some great Western river. This was followed by what might be classified as the "campaign pictures,” depicting scenes and incidents with which association with state politics made the statesman-artist entirely familiar and which the artist treated with corresponding fidelity to truth in every detail-"Stump Speaking," "The County Election," "Result of Election," and others of similar subject and character— several of Col. Bingham's pictures which were made familiar by steel engravings by John Sartain, the great Philadelphia engraver, and published in Paris as well as America. One of the most celebrated of this group, "Stump Speaking," has been described as "representing the local politician with eager attitude and countenance aglow with confidence, speaking literally from the stump to the country folk who have gathered from all sections to hear his view of the situation and his reasons for believing himself to be the only logical candidate." The same skill is shown in introducing a large number of figures, a motley throng of merchants, farmers, laborers, small boys and dogs, grouped with great animation, but without confusion, and with many interesting details, representing the stores and taverns of the Main street of a country town of that day with so much reality and such a touch of humor as to bear comparison with some of the Kermess pictures by the little masters of Holland. The success thus attained created ambition for wider knowledge and further study. Mr. Bingham went abroad with his family, in 1856, visiting London, Paris, Berlin and remaining three years at Dusseldorf in the study and practice of his profession. Later Mr. Bingham returned to America and to his home in Kansas City where he lived until the close of the war. His home in Kansas City having been destroyed, he moved to the quaint old town of Independence, east, ten ORDER NO. 11." GENERAL BINGHAM'S FAMOUS PAINTING, "MARTIAL LAW," OR THE EXECUTION OF "GENERAL NOW THE PROPERTY OF GEORGE BINGHAM ROLLINS, OF COLUMBIA, MISSOURI. miles from Kansas City. It was there in 1866 that he painted his picture, first entitled "Martial Law," subsequently better known under the name of "Order No. 11," perhaps the most noted, certainly the most dramatic, of his paintings. Mr. Bingham's final public service to the state as adjutant general under Governor Harding, gave him the title of "General" which has since been associated with his name. His last educational labor was performed as superintendent of the art department of the State University and Stephens college at Columbia, Missouri, going from his home in Kansas City at stated times for that purpose, until the end of his life. This city and Independence had been his home most of the time from the close of the war, here he passed away after a brief illness, July 7, 1879, and there he was laid to rest. However later day critics may differ in regard to the excellence of the technical methods and artistic practice in this country, at that early day, as illustrated in the work of this Western artist, there can be no disagreement as to the great historical value of works which represent with such fidelity and truth, scenes and events peculiar to the Southwest and especially characteristic of our own state at that time. The very fact that the life and types thus vividly portrayed are passing away, emphasizes the importance of preserving a faithful record for coming generations, and makes it a matter of interest to those now living, to trace, so far as possible, the present location of his more important works. It seems fitting that Kansas City should have her share of General Bingham's work, as much of it was accomplished here, during the later years of his life, and here it was that the final public sale of his paintings was held. Perhaps no clearer impression could be obtained of his versatility than by referring to the inventory of the collection, including originals, replicas and studies, as printed at the time-"Order No. 11," "Palmleaf Shade," "The Result of the Election," "The Puzzled Witness," "The Jolly Flatboatmen," "Washington Crossing the Delaware," "Landscape View," "Landscape View in Colorado," "Flock of Turkeys," "Bunch of Letters," "Moonlight View," "Feeding the Cows," "The Bathing Girl," with portraits of the artist and members of his own and other well known families. "The Puzzled Witness," one of the few interiors with figures, belongs to Judge Gibson; "The Result of the Election," to Mr. James W. S. Peters; "Palmleaf Shade," to Mrs. L. M. Miller. In the Kansas City Public Library the self-portrait of the artist, given by Mr. Thomas H. Mastin, hangs in room E, on the first floor of the building, while in the reference room, upstairs, has recently been placed a portrait, loaned to the Library as an example of the art of the state at that early day. During Mr. Bingham's residence in Washington Mr. John Howard Payne was a frequent visitor to the studio of the artist, often sitting for hours watching the painter. As a result Mr. Bingham painted, in water colors, in the attitude he had so often seen him, Mr. Payne's portrait. It was one of Mr. Bingham's best portraits. When Mrs. Bingham died this beautiful picture of Mr. Payne was bequeathed to Mrs. J. V. C. Karnes, who still cherishes it. Others, including family portraits, are in possession of relatives and personal friends of the artist, making in all more than twenty-five canvases in this city. Many of the paintings which adorn the capitol of Missouri at Jefferson City are the work of his hand, either as copies or originals from life. Fulllength portraits of Washington, Jefferson and Clay, and life-size equestrian portraits of General Jackson and Lyon, are also there as a result of a special order given by the state. St. Louis is fortunate in having some of the more important works. Mr. Bingham painted for the Mercantile Library full length portraits of Baron von Humboldt and General Frank P. Blair, and the Library now owns six more of his paintings. George and Martha Washington, from the originals by Stewart, "The County Election," "Stump Speaking," "The Result of the Election," and "The Jolly Flatboatmen," the latter an entirely different picture from that of the same name owned by the New York Art Union. The Mercantile Library also owns the original sketch of each character in these paintings. These studies are in pencil, India ink or crayon, and are mounted and bound in book form. They, with the last six paintings, were presented to the Library by the Hon. John G. Beach of St. Louis. Columbia was General Bingham's home for a time, and there he painted a number of portraits of eminent citizens for the State University, which were unfortunately destroyed in the disastrous fire of 1892. A list of these has been kindly furnished by Mr. C. B. Rollins, of Columbia: "A bust portrait of Dr. Anthony W. Rollins, founder of the Rollins Aid Fund; a lifesize, full length portrait of the late James S. Rollins, known as 'Pater Universitatis Missouriensis'; a bust portrait of the late Dr. John H. Lathrop, the first president of the University; bust portraits of Drs. Hudson and Shannon, presidents of the University." Mr. Rollins also states that the original of "Order No. 11" is the property of Mr. George Bingham Rollins, a namesake of General Bingham. At the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago, in the gallery of the Retrospective Exhibit of American Art were four paintings by George C. Bingham, owned and lent by the Mercantile Library Association of St. Louis, and entered in the official catalogue as "Stump Speaking," "Election" (painted in 1854), "Election Returns," "Jolly Flatboatmen." Among less than one hundred canvases by some sixty artists of the last half of the eighteenth and |