General Richard Gentry
- Date
- 1837
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Columbia, Missouri, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- American Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 27 1/2 × 22 1/2 in. (69.9 × 57.2 cm)
framed: 33 3/4 × 28 1/2 × 1 3/4 in. (85.7 × 72.4 × 4.4 cm) - Credit Line
- Partial and promised gift of Elizabeth Gentry Sayad and the E. W. Gentry Sayad Family
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 13:2006
NOTES
This portrait of General Richard Gentry presents the stern countenance and robust psychological presence of one of Missouri’s great early citizens. Gentry served as a state senator, and in 1832 he was commissioned as a major general and given command of the state’s troops. George Caleb Bingham combined sharpness of line and subtlety of light to emphasize the strong features of a man known for his bravery on the battlefield and his intelligence in government.
Provenance
1837 -
General Richard Gentry (1788-1837) and Ann Hawkins Gentry (1791-1870), Columbia, MO, commissioned from the artist; Oliver Perry Gentry (1814-1881), by inheritance; Thomas Benton Gentry (1830-1906), by inheritance; William Richard Gentry, by inheritance; William R. Gentry, Jr. (d.1966), St. Louis, MO, by inheritance; Thomas F. Gentry (d.1981), by inheritance; Elizabeth Gentry Sayad and E. W. Gentry Sayad, St. Louis, MO, by inheritance [1]
2006 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, partial and promised gift of Elizabeth Gentry Sayad and E. W. Gentry Sayad [2]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the George Caleb Bingham catalogue raisonné [Bloch, E. Maurice. "The Paintings of George Caleb Bingham: A Catalogue Raisonné." Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1986, p. 141, no. 38]
[1] Oliver Perry Gentry inherited the painting from his parents General Richard Gentry and Ann Hawkins Gentry. After his death, his brother Thomas Benton Gentry inherited it. Thomas Benton Gentry left the painting to his son, William Richard Gentry, who in turn passed it to his son, William R. Gentry, Jr. The next to inherit the painting was William R. Gentry, Jr.'s brother, Thomas F. Gentry. Thomas F. Gentry's niece Elizabeth Gentry Sayad and her son E. W. Gentry Sayad inherited the portrait from Thomas F. Gentry in the early 1980s [deeds of partial and promised gift and bequest, dated May 5, 2006, SLAM document files].
[2] See note [1]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Board of Commissioners, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 20, 2006. Additional interest in the painting accepted in 2025, per Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Board of Commissioners, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 8, 2025.
General Richard Gentry (1788-1837) and Ann Hawkins Gentry (1791-1870), Columbia, MO, commissioned from the artist; Oliver Perry Gentry (1814-1881), by inheritance; Thomas Benton Gentry (1830-1906), by inheritance; William Richard Gentry, by inheritance; William R. Gentry, Jr. (d.1966), St. Louis, MO, by inheritance; Thomas F. Gentry (d.1981), by inheritance; Elizabeth Gentry Sayad and E. W. Gentry Sayad, St. Louis, MO, by inheritance [1]
2006 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, partial and promised gift of Elizabeth Gentry Sayad and E. W. Gentry Sayad [2]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the George Caleb Bingham catalogue raisonné [Bloch, E. Maurice. "The Paintings of George Caleb Bingham: A Catalogue Raisonné." Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1986, p. 141, no. 38]
[1] Oliver Perry Gentry inherited the painting from his parents General Richard Gentry and Ann Hawkins Gentry. After his death, his brother Thomas Benton Gentry inherited it. Thomas Benton Gentry left the painting to his son, William Richard Gentry, who in turn passed it to his son, William R. Gentry, Jr. The next to inherit the painting was William R. Gentry, Jr.'s brother, Thomas F. Gentry. Thomas F. Gentry's niece Elizabeth Gentry Sayad and her son E. W. Gentry Sayad inherited the portrait from Thomas F. Gentry in the early 1980s [deeds of partial and promised gift and bequest, dated May 5, 2006, SLAM document files].
[2] See note [1]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Board of Commissioners, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 20, 2006. Additional interest in the painting accepted in 2025, per Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Board of Commissioners, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 8, 2025.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.