Fur Traders Descending the Missouri

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri is an 1845 painting by George Caleb Bingham. It is one of his most famous paintings, and is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. He had brought it to St. Louis, Missouri on June 4, 1845, along with several other pieces of artwork. It was painted around 1845 in the style called luminism by some historians of American art, and was originally titled French-Trader, Half-breed Son. The American Art Union thought the title potentially controversial and renamed it when it was first exhibited. It reflects the reality of fur traders' common marriages with Native American women, which resulted in the formation of the Métis ethnic group in Canada. The father's toque cap suggests that he is a voyageur of French descent. A black fox is in the front of the canoe, with pointed ears, long, sharp snout, and tongue. Black fox pelts were the most expensive, and therefore most desirable, furs of the time. Many Native American tribes regarded black foxes as spiritually symbolic creatures. References 1845 paintings Paintings by George Caleb Bingham Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bears in art