“Verdict of the People” by George Caleb Bingham

Winston Churchill once quipped, “Politics are almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.” With the primary and general elections nearly upon us, we are reminded once again that we live in a country governed by a constitution that establishes a democratic republic. As such, we are a voting people. We vote into and out of office our legislators, our executive branch, and even local judges in some municipalities. And as is the case this fall, we also have the opportunity to vote on public referendums, taxation issues, and amendments to our governing documents.

With the theme of politics and elections on our mind, we turn for the second month in a row to the 19th century American painter George Caleb Bingham. This month’s selection from the St. Louis Art Museum is Bingham’s work Verdict of the People. The scene flows with people and activity. As such, it is an ancestor to similar 20th century Norman Rockwell paintings that depict a slice of American life. It is also similar to a “Where’s Waldo” cartoon in that the more you look at it the more you discover. Let’s just kick back and have some fun with this piece.

The highlight is cast upon the man standing up on the left, reading a piece of paper. Given the title of the piece, this man is obviously reading the results of the voting. There is a reaction to the news on the part of many of the characters. The man in front is slumped over in the street, crushed over the results of the campaign. Contrast him with the man on the right whose hands are up in the air in jubilation. What I find humorous is how a large number of the crowd are not even paying attention to the announcement. They are doing their own thing, and do not seem especially concerned with the business at hand.

Note the lightheartedness. On the right hand side of the painting is a happy man wearing three hats one on top of the other. Is this evidence of a successful wager on the outcome of the election? Had he “bet his hat” on the election and won? Also note on the bottom right a man cutting into a watermelon as part of the celebration.

There are historical details to take note of in the painting. The pillars and steps of the building on the left are from Missouri’s Boone County Courthouse built in 1846. Although this structure was razed in 1909, some citizens petitioned to have the columns left standing. They are still there to be seen even today.

Also note the clothes worn during that period. Most of them are wearing what we would consider “Sunday clothes” – long sleeve button-down shirts, top hats, vests, coats with plumage flaring at the bottom. At first you might think the coats are for the cool breezes of autumn, perhaps because this is a November election. But have you ever eaten watermelon in November? Also, the leaves on the deciduous trees are still green.

Note the United States flag flying high in a central spot on the canvas. This painting was completed around 1855, just five years before the bloody war that would disunite the nation. The history of the Civil War in our border state of Missouri reveals that counties, towns, and even families split their allegiance between the North and South. Coming on the eve of the war, perhaps Bingham attempted to remind citizens of that which unites us. Students, for further study look into your history books and find the number of stars that would have been on the flag in 1855.

From the painting, it is obvious that voting and elections form a basic responsibility of citizenship. At least three generations of men are present in the picture – older men, younger men, and boys. In this period of time, people would gather for hours on end to hear political debate between candidates. Just three years later the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates took place in the neighboring state of Illinois.

Of interest to note, is the fact that there are two classes of voters depicted in this painting which, at the time, did not have the right to vote. Notice the African-American in the lower left hand side of the painting pushing the wheel barrel who is seemingly unaffected by the festivities. Also note the two women who are tucked almost out of sight up on the balcony in the upper right hand corner of the painting. African-Americans did not have the right to vote until passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870 and it wasn’t until 1920 with passage of the 19th Amendment that women obtained the right to vote. So, Bingham’s painting seems an accurate representation of who would have gathered to vote during the 1850’s.

In closing, Verdict of the People is approximately four feet tall by five feet wide. Therefore, many of the details of the painting are best seen only in person by going to the museum. I encourage you to go to the museum and check out this painting and the other works by Bingham. Appreciate them for the treasure they are to American art, and specifically enjoy them as products of one of our own fellow Missourians.

W. Scott Lamb is a pastor with Providence Baptist Church in South St. Louis County, MO. He and his wife Pearl enjoy the challenges and pleasures of raising their four sons. Feel free to contact Scott at www.pbcstlouis.com.