George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811-1879). <em>Shooting for the Beef</em>, 1850. Oil on canvas, 33 3/8 x 49 in. (84.8 x 124.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 40.342 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.342_SL1.jpg)

George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811-1879). Shooting for the Beef, 1850. Oil on canvas, 33 3/8 x 49 in. (84.8 x 124.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 40.342 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.342_SL1.jpg)

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What can you tell me about this?

This painting by Bingham captures a scene in everyday life on the American frontier of the mid-1800s. Bingham was known for his paintings of rural life, particularly in his native Missouri.

These men are having a contest. They're shooting a board nailed to a tree, and the winner will take home the "beef"---the cow at the left of the scene! The building behind them is a combination post office and grocery. Their frontier town is still very basic at this point!

What is this about?

Bingham was a successful genre painter who focused on rural life in Missouri. In the mid-1800s, that was still a new idea in the United States, where many artists and collectors still preferred European landscapes or idealized views of the American northeast.

This scene itself is portraying the everyday life of people on the Missouri frontier, using their rifles at target practice. The winner of the shooting challenge would get the cow depicted on the left of the painting. Hence the name of the painting, "Shooting for the Beef."

Shooting for the Beef

George Caleb Bingham

American Art

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Visions and Myths of a Nation, 1800–1890

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.

ARTIST George Caleb Bingham, American, 1811-1879

MEDIUM Oil on canvas

DATES 1850

DIMENSIONS 33 3/8 x 49 in. (84.8 x 124.5 cm) frame: 46 7/8 x 62 1/2 in. (119.1 x 158.8 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE Signed lower left: "G.C. Bingham / 1850."

COLLECTIONS American Art

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Visions and Myths of a Nation, 1800–1890

EXHIBITIONS

ACCESSION NUMBER 40.342

CREDIT LINE Dick S. Ramsay Fund

RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions

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CAPTION George Caleb Bingham (American, 1811-1879). Shooting for the Beef, 1850. Oil on canvas, 33 3/8 x 49 in. (84.8 x 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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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

What can you tell me about this?

This painting by Bingham captures a scene in everyday life on the American frontier of the mid-1800s. Bingham was known for his paintings of rural life, particularly in his native Missouri.

What is this about?