Main Content

Treasures of the White House: Lighter Relieving a Steamboat Aground

Treasures of the White House: Lighter Relieving a Steamboat Aground

978.13392.1

This painting brings to life an era and a region in which storytelling was at once a way of life and an art form. Bingham was raised on the banks of the Missouri River near St. Louis, and he became its historian. He knew the river well, and as a young man he witnessed the change in its character as the flatboats that drifted with the current or were poled against it were supplanted by steamboats in the 1830s.

This is, as far as we know, the first painting in which Bingham depicted an accident on the river. The steamboat in the distance has run aground on a shoal, and this boat in distress probably alludes to a key political issue of the day. Obtaining federal funds to improve navigation and thus facilitate trade on the western rivers through the removal of snags, shoals, and sawyers was a primary goal of the Whig party in Missouri. In 1846 Bingham ran as a Whig for the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected, but the results were contested. The Democrat-controlled legislature decided against him, and he was forced from office. Shortly afterward, to the fury of the Whigs, the Democratic President James K. Polk vetoed the River and Harbor Bill.

Although Bingham may indeed have had a political subtext in this painting, his primary focus is on the self-sufficient boatmen, his heroes. Having removed cargo from the steamer ("lightened" it so it can float free from the shoal), they have turned from it to listen to their storyteller. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, Bingham's contemporary, they are "building castles in the air for which earth offered no worthy foundation." Of this and another picture, a St. Louis reporter wrote that the artist has chosen "the simplest, most frequent and common occurrences on our rivers... precisely those in which the full and undisguised character of the boatmen is displayed."

Source: William Kloss, et. al., Art in the White House, New York: Abrams, 1992.

Artist
George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879)
Medium
Oil on canvas, 3O~II6 x 363h6 inches (77 x 91.9 cm)
Credit
Partial gift of an anonymous donor, 1978, and Mr. and Mrs. Walter Shorenstein, 1981

Share

Related

Related
Next Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection

You Might Also Like

  • Page

    Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection

    The White House Collection and the Atlantic World Jennifer L. Anderson, Mahogany: The Costs of Luxury in Early America (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012). Vernon C. Stoneman, John and Thomas Seymour, Cabinetmakers in Boston, 1794-1816 (Boston, MA: Special Publications, 1959). Sarah Fling, “Sugar, Slavery, and the Washington China,” White House Historical Association, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/sugar-slavery-and-the-washington-china.Hannah Boettcher and Ronald W. F

  • Page

    Conservation of the White House Collection

    Care of any museum collection includes the conservation of objects to correct or stabilize deterioration from age or exhibition. Although the White House is an accredited historic house museum, it does not provide the traditional exhibition setting of objects under glass or behind ropes at all times. As the official residence of the president of the United States, objects from

  • Digital Library Exhibit

    Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection

    Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection explores the history of slavery and emancipation in the United States through art, furnishings, chinaware, and other objects in the White House. This exhibit was curated by White House Historical Association historian Sarah Fling.

  • Collection

    Preservation of the White House

    In the 1960s, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw the task of restoring the White House interiors and thus founded the White House Historical Association to enhance the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the Executive Mansion. As a part of our mission, the Association provides financial support for acquisitions, refurbishing projects, and preservation initiatives of the White House, which involves collaboration

  • Collection

    Presidential and First Lady Portraits

    Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies, a long-standing tradition of the White House Collection. Recent presidents and first ladies typically select their respective artists before leaving the White House and approve the portraits before their formal presentation to the public and induction into the collection. The

  • Collection

    An Artist Visits the White House Past

    From the beginning of its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior of the White House, the fourteen paintings of this series examine the history of a national icon. Through meticulous research and tireless attention to detail, numerous sources inspired the brush of Peter Waddell to create a vision of the White

  • Collection

    The Kennedys and the Arts

    President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the arts endures as a vital part of their White House legacy. From 1961 to 1963, the White House became a focal point for the arts and cultural engagement. The Kennedys hosted numerous concerts and performances and infused the Executive Mansion and the country with the same vitality, youth, and id

  • Collection

    A Tour of the White House

    In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy resolved to make the White House a “living museum” by restoring the historic integrity of the public rooms and displaying the very best of American artwork, furniture, and décor. In order to fulfill her vision, Mrs. Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association, a private, non-profit organization created in partnership with the National Park Servi