Mrs. Thomas Benton King (Clara Bingham), daughter of the artist and her husband, Stephenville, Texas
Mrs. William Perrin Bowdry (Clara King), granddaughter of the artist, Dallas, Texas
Mr. Robert G. Whittington, Jr., great-great grandson of the artist, Dallas, Texas
Private Collection

Washington, DC, National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, 1967-68
The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968
Los Angeles, The Art Galleries, UCLA, 1968

Helen Fern Rusk, George Caleb Bingham:  The Missouri Artist, Jefferson City, Missouri, 1917, p. 20
John Francis McDermott, George Caleb Bingham, River Portraitist, Norman, Oklahoma, 1959, p. 426, no. 69
Maurice E. Bloch, George Caleb Bingham:  The Evolution of an Artist and A Catalogue Raisonne:  Two Volumes, Berkeley, 1967, pp. 62, 64, 336, illustrated p. 38
Maurice E. Bloch, The Drawings of George Caleb Bingham with a Catalogue Raisonne, Columbia, Missouri, 1975, p. 37 (A97)
Maurice E. Bloch, The Paintings of George Caleb Bingham:  A Catalogue Raisonne✤, Columbia, Missouri, 1986, pp. 161-162, il💃lustrated, pl. 121

 

Canvas is lined. SURFACE: while surface has been compressed from relining, retention of colors, details and pigment is good; craquelure throughout (stable from relining) UNDER ULTRA VIOLET: restoration throughout (both on figures and in background), much of it is craquelure fill-in; also, there are several scattered larger spots; largest is an area of inpainting at upper right quadrant in the background along the edges
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Mostly self-taught, Bingham made his living painting portraits of prominent citizens in the various parts of the country he visited, from Missouri and Mississippi to Philadelphia, New York and Washington, DC.  The present portrait of his wife and son was painted in the latter city.  Newton was the eldest son of the artist and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Hutchinison, whom he married in 1836.  He was born in 1837 and died at the age of four.  It is believed that the present portrait was painted to serve as a memorial to the child, possibly at the request of the mother.