In a Quandary, or Mississippi Raftsmen at Cards

Maker George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811 - 1879)

Collections

American Paintings Selections

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1851

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions17 1/2 x 21 in. (44.5 x 53.3 cm.) frame: 25 1/4 × 29 1/4 × 4 in. (64.1 × 74.3 × 10.2 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of the Virginia Steele Scott Foundation

Status

On view

Label TextIn this painting of boatmen on the Mississippi, George Caleb Bingham depicted quintessentially American characters while evoking the art and artists of the Italian Renaissance. The seated man on the right is based on a work by Raphael, while the standing figure resembles a figure from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling. Bingham composed the figures in a triangle to create a sense of stability and order.

The painting also refers to debates in American politics. Bingham belonged to the Whig Party, which tried to pass legislation to improve America's waterways in order to increase commerce. After President Polk vetoed the Whig's bill in 1846, Bingham introduced unsettling elements into his river scenes in protest. Here, the raftsmen gamble, drink, and leave the deck in a mess, suggesting that the frustrations of navigating myriad sandbars and submerged logs in the river have made them careless about their work.

Object number83.8.4

Exhibitions

American Made: Selections from The Huntington's Early American Art Collections