George Rickey was the Artist in Residence at Knox College from 1940-1941. It was then that he completed this painting as a study for the mural The Offer of Education. Though Rickey was considered American he lived in and was educated in Europe. …
The print depicts the famous 1870 race between the Natchez and the Robert E. Lee, which marked a pinnacle in the sport of steamboat racing and attracted worldwide newspaper coverage.