Declaration of Independence Broadside, Engraved by E. Huntington, circa 1820s

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About the Item

The Declaration of Independence is the foundation document of the United States and has been printed many times since its original publication in 1776. At first as broadsides, then as an essential addition to any volume of laws, it was from the beginning a basic work in the American canon. The present document is one of the earliest broadside printings of the Declaration. In the period following the War of 1812, Americans examined the founding era of the country with historical perspective for the first time. The republic was now forty years old and the generation of the American Revolution, including the signers of the Declaration, were passing away. With nostalgia and historical curiosity, many Americans began to examine the details of the nation’s founding. It seems extraordinary that the Declaration of Independence was unknown to so many Americans when the text is now so significant to our national ego, yet many had not read or seen the text of the Declaration. Thus, documents like the debates of the Constitutional Convention, the Declaration of Independence, and first penned laws of our country were published for the public for the first time. Several entrepreneurs set out to bridge this gap by publishing printed versions of great texts. The first to do so was a writing master named Benjamin Owen Tyler, who created a calligraphic version of the Declaration and published it in 1818, recreating exactly the signatures of the signers as they appeared on the original. Three other broadside printings of the Declaration were issued in 1818 and 1819, each containing ornamental borders or illustrations. These were followed in 1820 by the present printing by the Hartford engraver and penmanship author Eleazer Huntington. Huntington followed Tyler’s example by creating a calligraphic facsimile of the Declaration, but stripped out the ornaments and illustrations that had been added by previous publishers. Huntington returned the document to the simple title and text of the original and provided the signatures in exact facsimile. According to John Bidwell’s list in “American History in Image and Text", this impression is one of only eight known broadside printings of the Huntington Declaration of Independence. Bidwell locates only three copies of the printing in public collections, at the Huntington Library, Massachusetts Historical Society, and American Antiquarian Society. Four additional impressions have been noted in auction records or as part of cataloged private collections. John Bidwell, "American History in Image and Text" in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, 1988, Vol. 98, pp.247-302. Since there are only three known copies that exist in institutions — our best guess is that there are less than 50 copies in private collections throughout the world. The number could be much less, which affords the strong opinion that this is a rare early version of the document that only will grow in value with the passage of time.

Dimensions:
Height: 44.75 in (113.67 cm)Width: 40 in (101.6 cm)Depth: 2.25 in (5.72 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper
Period:
1820-1829
Date of Manufacture:
1820
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. This Declaration is printed on heavy wove period paper. The publication line reads "Engraved by E. Huntington" in small text print along the lower margin. Paper is in very good condition. Framed Size: 44.75" H x 40" W x 2.25" D.
Seller Location:
Colorado Springs, CO
Reference Number:
Seller: PR2941stDibs: LU909717033462

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