Lot 1180: John Sartain (1808-1897) after George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879) Fine American and European Furniture, Silver, Folk and Decorative Arts and Clocks

Martial Law (Order No. 11), 1872 Colored engraving published by George C. Bingham, Columbia and Kansas City, Missouri 21 9/16 x 30 5/8in (54.7 x 77.8cm)

54.7 x 77.8cm

General Order No. 11 was issued by General Thomas Ewing, Jr., commander of the Department of Missouri; it forced residents of Lawrence, Kansas, to evacuate and was prompted by guerilla warfare by Southern sympathizers, and specifically by atrocities committed by Quantrill's Raiders in Lawrence, Kansas. Bingham was a staunch opponent of Order No. 11, as it created a wasteland subject to extensive looting after the Kansas Cavalry troops moved in to enforce the order, which he believed fostered the evils of martial law. He created two versions of his highly dramatic painting; one was the source of this engraving by John Sartain. See Bruce Chambers, "Painting the Civil War as History, 1861-1910," in William Ayres (ed.), Picturing History, American Painting 1770-1930 (New York: Rizzoli, 1993), pp. 122-125.