The Dull Story

Thomas W. Nelson (1804-1879) and Mary Gay Nelson (1819-1895), Boonville, MO; St. Louis, MO, given by the artist [1]

by 1917 - still in 1944
Wyan Nelson (1848-1933) and Adelia Nelson (1848-1937), Kansas City, MO, by inheritance; Estate of Adelia Nelson [2]

by 1956 - 1963
Charles van Ravenswaay, Boonville, MO; Sturbridge, MA [3]

1963 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Charles van Ravenswaay [4]


Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Bloch's catalogue raisonné, the 1986 edition, cat. no. 385 [Bloch, E. Maurice. "The Paintings of George Caleb Bingham: A Catalogue Raisonné." Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1986]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[1] Bingham was good friends with the Nelson family. He painted portraits of Thomas and Mary, as well as other family members. "'Forest Hill,' The Nelson Homestead, Boonville, MO" features a view of their home, where he had stayed during the summer and fall of 1877 [Bloch, E. Maurice. "The Paintings of George Caleb Bingham." Columbia, MO, University of Missouri Press, 1986, p. 25]. A letter from A.W. Nelson, Adelia Nelson's son, to Boatmen's Bank dated February 26, 1944, indicates that Thomas and Mary Nelson had received the painting as a gift of the artist [SLAM document files].

[2] Wyan Nelson inherited the painting from his parents Thomas and Mary [see letter in note 1]. Fern Rusk reported that the painting was in the collection of Adelia Nelson, wife of Wyan Nelson, in 1917 [Rusk, Fern. "George Caleb Bingham: The Missouri Artist." Jefferson City, MO: The Hugh Stephens Co, 1917, p. 120]. Adelia Nelson's sons, A.W. Nelson and French L. Nelson, and son-in-law, Horton E. Kimble, represented her estate and wrote several letters seeking a buyer for the work before and after her death. In a letter to Meyric Rogers, director of the City Art Museum, St. Louis, dated February 16, 1934, A.W. Nelson indicates that the family was considering selling the painting [SLAM document files]. Horton E. Kimble wrote to Meyric Rogers on May 17, 1938, to inquire about the market for Bingham paintings [SLAM document files]. On February 26, 1944, French L. Nelson wrote to Boatmen's Bank of St. Louis to offer the painting for sale [SLAM document files].

[3] Bloch indicates that Charles van Ravenswaay acquired the painting c.1943; however, this date is contradicted by the letter written by French L. Nelson to Boatmen's Bank (see note [2]) [Bloch, E. Maurice. "Bingham: the Artist and his Times." New York University, 1956, p. 52]. It is possible that van Ravenswaay obtained the painting during or after 1944.

[4] An invoice dated October 21, 1963, indicates that the City Art Museum paid for the painting in four annual installments [SLAM document files]. Bill of sale dated August 3, 1967 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control, December 18, 1963.