Shooting for the Beef
George Caleb Bingham
American Art
The glum-looking steer at far left watches as men compete in a shooting contest—a typical western pastime—to win him as a prize. The target is a nail on the board leaning against the dead tree. A sign above reads “To Boonsborough 14 miles.” This town, named for the renowned pioneer Daniel Boone, was in central Missouri’s Boone County.
The lively narrative of rough but amiable frontier types and the far-ranging view of the landscape create a vivid representation of Manifest Destiny. During this era, many Americans believed in divine approval of westward expansion and limitless opportunity for those with a pioneering, competitive spirit.
The lively narrative of rough but amiable frontier types and the far-ranging view of the landscape create a vivid representation of Manifest Destiny. During this era, many Americans believed in divine approval of westward expansion and limitless opportunity for those with a pioneering, competitive spirit.
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
DATES
1850
DIMENSIONS
33 3/8 × 49 in. (84.8 × 124.5 cm)
frame: 46 7/8 × 62 1/2 × 5 1/4 in. (119.1 × 158.8 × 13.3 cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE
Signed lower left: "G.C. Bingham / 1850."
COLLECTIONS
American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
40.342
CREDIT LINE
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811–1879). Shooting for the Beef, 1850. Oil on canvas, 33 3/8 × 49 in. (84.8 × 124.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 40.342 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.342_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 40.342_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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