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GEORGE CALEB BINGHAM

THE TRAPPERS' RETURN, 1851

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About the Artwork

Raised in central Missouri, Bingham found the most enduring subjects of his art in the trappers and boatmen who populated his state’s great rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi. Combining the elements of water, foliage, hazy morning light, river men, and their simple crafts, he created a sequence known as “The River Paintings.”

The Trappers’ Return is the second version of Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), which is generally considered the artist’s finest work in the genre idiom. Both pictures present a dugout canoe moving slowly downstream with an old French trader paddling in the stern and his son amidships with an animal chained to the bow. The arrangement of the figures and the general mood invest them with a sense of timelessness all the more striking for the specificity of the scenes depicted.

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About Our Prints

Quality
DIA Custom Prints offers exclusive custom reproductions of artworks in the collections of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Hand-made in the USA using gallery-quality materials, we create prints as true to the original work as possible, using strict color management protocols and state-of-the-art printing technology.
Selection
Many of the works offered through this store are exclusive and not available anywhere else. We are continually adding new artworks to our offering, so be sure to check back regularly as you build your own gallery. A variety of molding styles means our custom framed prints can match any type of decor.

Member Discounts

DIA Members will receive their 10% discount for all DIA Custom Prints purchases. If you are Member, enter the email address associated with your membership when you check out; once your Membership has been validated, your discount will be applied. Member discounts cannot be combined with other offers.