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George Caleb Bingham, American, 1811-1879
Canvassing for a Vote, 1852
Alternate Title: Candidate Electioneering
Oil on canvas
Unframed: 25 1/4 x 30 1/2 inches (64.14 x 77.47 cm)
Framed: 36 1/2 x 41 1/2 inches (92.71 x 105.41 cm)
Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 54-9
Location: Gallery 215
George Caleb Bingham was the first American painter with a national reputation to live and work west of the Mississippi. He also was active in Missouri politics for most of his adult life.
Canvassing for a Vote reflects Bingham's full faith in the democratic system, even as he recognized its shortcomings. Set in the artist's hometown of Arrow Rock, Missouri, the composition shows a politician and trio of potential voters in a solid pyramid at the center of the painting's story: the campaign process at work. Bingham also suggests some of the problems of 1850s American politics. He perhaps implies political disenfranchisement and inattentive citizens by turning one man's back from the main grouping. The sleeping dog likely refers to slavery, an issue that many voters and politicians hoped would remain dormant. Bingham also may point to the dubious character of certain politicians by placing the horse's rump in line with the canvasser’s head.
