Based on George Bellows Men of the Docks, the painting rises up on a winch and cargo hold system to reveal a ship model with the Randolph College seal. The painting was purchased by Randolph College students in 1920 and is now the subject of controversy as the college attempts to deaccession it from the Maier Museum for sale to fund an endowment. This caused an uproar in the museum community and prompted the museum director to resign. The seal is placed at the masthead much as coins were placed under the mast for good luck.