Steamboat on the Cumberland
Nashville, Tennessee
1855
at Nashville, Tennessee, shows a paddlewheel riverboat that made regular trips to New Orleans. This print was restored and hand-colored from an early antique print by southern historical artist George B. Kirchner. It is one of the two "Official Historical Prints" for Century III.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This print was restored and hand-colored from an early antique print by George B. Kirchner. It is one of the two "Official Historical Prints" for Century III, the commission established by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville to celebrate Nashville's 200th birthday. The other print is Kirchner's "The Nashville Inn - 1845".
A regular steamboat on the Cumberland River during the years 1850-60 was the Nashville, No. 6. She was 500 tons, ran regularly between Nashville and New Orleans, "was well decorated, but not gaudy, trim but not fragile, at tribute to the city whose name she bore."
Steamboating was big business because Nashville was the link for middle Tennessee to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
The suspension bridge (Woodland Street) across the Cumberland river was completed in June of 1850. The toll was 15¢ for horse and buggy, 5¢ for horseback, and free for pedestrians. The bridge was cut by the Confederates prior to occupation by the invading Union troops.
The fourth building from the right is the City Hotel, which was on the site of the parking lot of the present day Metro Nashville Court House. In 1851, Jenny Lind was a guest at the City Hotel. Andrew Jackson was shot at the City Hotel in a fight with the Benton Brothers.
The dead-end street to the right of the City Hotel is the site of an earlier bridge that had been removed because it was low and obstructed the passage of steamboats. Today, the Victory Memorial Bridge is located where that old bridge was situated.
Just outside the image on the right side of this print is the site of the old Nashville Inn.
PRINT EDITION INFORMATION
Classic Signed & Numbered: Paper - 19" x 25"; Image - 11¼" x 18½". The attractive Kirchner Prints Seal is hand-embossed below the image on the right hand side, between the title and the artist's signature. The signed and numbered edition is limited to 1000 copies. ............ $35
Classic "Mayor's Proof": Paper - 19" x 25"; Image - 11¼" x 18½". The attractive Kirchner Prints Seal is hand-embossed below the image on the right hand side, between the title and the artist's signature. The Seal of the City of Nashville is on the bottom left accompanied by the signature of the Mayor of Nashville during Nashville's Bicentennial celebration. There are 100 "Mayor's Proof" prints. ....... $50
Classic Signed: Paper - 19" x 25"; Image - 11¼" x 18½". The attractive Kirchner Prints Seal is hand-embossed below the image on the right hand side, between the title and the artist's signature. The signed and numbered edition is limited to 1900 copies. ..........$30
Mini-Print: Paper - 5¾" x 8"; Image - 4-3/8" x 6-1/2". Fits perfectly in an 8" x 10" frame when matted. ................$5
© Kirchner Prints
P.O. Box 2224, Brentwood, TN 37024-2224 - Phone (615) 376-8144
Kirchner Prints was established in 1976.