The Jolly Flatboatmen
1846 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Art, Washington
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About this work
- Artist
- George Caleb Bingham (1811–1879)
- Year
- 1846
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 96.8 × 123.2 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Movement
- Luminism
A young boatman dances on the deck of a Mississippi flatboat while one companion fiddles and another beats a frying pan, the rest of the crew lounging around them on the river. The American Art-Union bought it and distributed an engraving of it to thousands of subscribers in 1847, making it Bingham's most popular picture. It is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A cheerful river scene with music and dancing for a living room, den or music room in a dark wood frame. It suits warm white or soft gold walls and is a gift for a fiddler.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Luminism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1846)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- classic
- Rooms
- living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. Prints at 16×12, 24×18, 32×24 in — 16×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×18 above a console or sideboard; 32×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or dark wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Jolly Flatboatmen in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Jolly Flatboatmen painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
