Blog / 2026 / Free Coloring Page of a Baby Duck

Last Saturday, the first steamboat for passengers and freight in the United States got a little party in Philadelphia!

I get that it’s a weirdly specific sort of celebration and one that seemingly has nothing at all to do with baby ducks. But it makes sense in the context of 52 Weeks of Firsts, an initiative honoring some of the many ways that the US’s first capital was first in other ways as well.

Philly was the city where the first steam-driven vessel that carried both people and stuff operated for a few months in the summer of 1790. And the 18^th century boat was designed with oars at the back that pushed through the water in a motion resembling a duck’s feet when the bird is swimming.

I should know: I painted a person-sized #1 statue with images of the boat and its inventor as well as the river and a duckling.

Until the very last minute, the event was supposed to happen at the Independence Seaport Museum, but the new location at the end of the Cherry Street Pier proved to be quite the upgrade. It offered stunning views of the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Delaware River!

Some of my favorite people showed up to cheer me and my steamboaterrific piece of public art on, including these two delightful humans.

And I made some new friends. Here, I’m with the members of the Late Entry Quartet, who provided barbershop music for the event.

All of my new friends received a special sticker along with a coloring page based on a detail from the First Steamboat for Passengers and Freight, the duckling demonstrating how the paddles from the steamboat worked.

You can download a PDF of the coloring page here.