First Saturday Lecture Series: “Towards an ‘Emancipationist Vision’ of General Order No. 11: the Interpretive History of George Caleb Bingham’s Great Civil War Painting”

2/2/2013 | Arrow Rock State Historic Site | Arrow Rock, MO

The Civil War painting of General Order No. 11 by George Caleb Bingham is usually interpreted as an act of revenge against Union general Thomas Ewing. Many interpretations of the image are rebel-centered and anti-Union. The three African Americans in the painting are generally ignored or interpreted in ways that reinforce an anti-Union vision of the picture. In the 140 years since its creation, most commentators have understood this painting through veils of memory called the “white supremacist vision,” and the “reconcilliationist vision.” This lecture will be presented by Joan Stack, Ph.D., of the State Historical Society of Missouri, who proposes a fresh interpretation based around an “emancipationist vision,” arguing that such an understanding of the picture provides us with useful insights into the legacies of slavery, race and the war in Missouri. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Arrow Rock Inc..

Event time: 10 a.m. - noon