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The Jolly Flat Boat Men

1847
Not on view
A flatboat, or cargo raft, here floats down the Mississippi as the crew relaxes, dances and plays musical instruments. In 1847, the American Art-Union purchased Bingham’s painting "The Jolly Flatboatmen" (1846; National Gallery of Art) directly from the artist. The subscription-based organization, founded in 1838 as the Apollo Association, boasted nearly ten-thousand members at this date. For an annual fee of five dollars, each received a large reproductive engraving and was entered in a lottery to win original artworks exhibited at the Art-Union’s Free Gallery. Aimed at educating the public about contemporary American art, the organization developed an impressive distribution network that reached members in every state. The broad circulation of the Art-Union's print helped to establish Bingham's reputation and made his river scene famous.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Jolly Flat Boat Men
  • Engraver: Thomas Doney (born France, active New York 1844–49)
  • Artist: After George Caleb Bingham (American, Augusta County, Virginia 1811–1879 Kansas City, Missouri)
  • Publisher: American Art-Union, New York (1838–51)
  • Printer: Powell and Company
  • Date: 1847
  • Medium: Mezzotint and engraving with etching
  • Dimensions: 21-1/2 x 26-1/2 in. (54.6 x 67.3 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gertrude and Thomas Jefferson Mumford Collection, Gift of Dorothy Quick Mayer, 1942
  • Object Number: 42.119.68
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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