"Men of the Docks" was exhibited at the Vanderbilt Gallery of the National Academy of Design in 1912, as well as Cornell University. Bellows again exhibited the work at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition of 1915, winning a gold medal. The painting was purchased for the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1920; at the time, the college was one of the foremost for women intent on studying art. At the recommendation of Professor Louise Jordan Smith, students and locals raised $2,500 to purchase the work. Beginning with this painting, the Maier collection eventually grew to include 3,500 works.