This painting shows the falls of Flat Rock on the Schuylkill River, eight miles from Doughty's home town of Philadelphia. It was painted in 1827 at the request of Doughty’s friend, Philip Tidyman of Charleston. He presented it to the Royal Institution in Edinburgh the following year, so that it may ‘raise the reputation of a worthy and eminent Artist’. It is believed that Doughty was planning a trip to Europe, and that his friend was ensuring that his work was known before he arrived. This serene scene of leisurely pursuits with a resting woodcutter ignore the recent industrial developments of the river. By 1827, the Schuylkill Navigation Company had completed a vast new canal and waterway system, which transformed both the appearance of the river, and the pace of life around Philadelphia.