Boatin' Up Sandy Print

Boatin' Up Sandy is part of Paula McHugh’s series of paintings inspired by the titles of American and Celtic fiddle tunes and folk songs. This painting depicts two young men floating on a flatboat, passing the time with a fiddle tune. The flatboat trade in America began in 1781 and flourished greatly with the coming of the steamboat. Farmers built their flatboats by hand from timber cut on their land and then they filled the large sturdy hull with produce such as corn, tobacco, and wheat. They would then set off downstream for prosperous river towns where they hoped to sell their cargo. Abraham Lincoln twice made the journey as a flatboatman and it was during one these journeys that he witnessed some of the brutal practices of slavery. He later wrote that this journey played a major role in shaping his personal views on slavery and the slave trade. The Big Sandy River separates West Virginia and Kentucky as it meanders north to meet the Ohio River, thus the expression, “boatin’ up Sandy.”

Print:Giclee on Fine Art Paper

Size:9 W x 12 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:14.25 W x 17.25 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.