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Photo, Print, Drawing Declaration of Independence

[ digital file from original ]

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[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. ]
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[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of New York ]
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[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Maryland ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of North Carolina ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. of detail, John Hancock ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. of detail, George Washington ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. of detail, Thomas Jefferson ]

About this Item

Title

  • Declaration of Independence

Summary

  • Print shows a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence, in an ornamental oval frame with medallions of seals of the thirteen original colonies, and medallion portraits of John Hancock, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. Above is an eagle with shield, olive branch, and arrows, holding a streamer reading "E Pluribus Unum." An incomplete state of the print was deposited for copyright by John Binns on November 4, 1818. It was accompanied by a prospectus card which describes the print thus: "A Splendid Edition of the Declaration of Independence. The Design in imitation of Bas Relief, will encircle the Declaration as a cordon of honor, surmounted by the Arms of the United States. Immediately underneath the arms, will be a large medallion portrait of General George Washington, supported by cornucopiae, and embellished with spears, flags, and other Military trophies and emblems. On the one side of this medallion portrait, will be a similar portrait of John Hancock,...and on the other, a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. "The arms of 'The Thirteen United States' in medallion, united by wreaths of olive leaves, will form the remainder of the cordon, which will be further enriched by some of the characteristic productions of the United States; such as the Tobacco and Indigo plants, the Cotton Shrub, Rice &c. The fac similes [sic] will be engraved by Mr. Vallance, who will execute the important part of the publication at the City of Washington, where, by permission of the Secretary of State, he will have the original signatures constantly under his eye." At the bottom of the print appears an endorsement by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams which reads, "Department of State, 19th, April 1819. I certify, that this is a Correct copy of the original Declaration of Independence, deposited at this Department; and that I have compared all the signatures of the original, and found them Exact Imitations." The "Port Folio" magazine (Philadelphia) for January 1819 reports, "We have at length been gratified with the sight of a proof-sheet of the splendid copy of the 'declaration of Independence;' and we declare that it deserves the most liberal support . . . ." The writer goes on to mention that Binns's print prompted a rash of inferior imitations.

Names

  • Binns, John, 1772-1860, copyright claimant
  • Bridport, George, artist
  • Sully, Thomas, 1783-1872, artist
  • Stuart, Gilbert, 1755-1828, artist
  • Otis, Bass, 1784-1861, artist
  • Copley, John Singleton, 1738-1815, artist
  • Murray, George, -1822, engraver
  • Parker, Charles H., approximately 1795-1819, engraver
  • Longacre, James Barton, 1794-1869, engraver
  • Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848.

Created / Published

  • [United States] : [Publisher not identified], [1818, published 1819] (Printed by James Porter)

Headings

  • -  Washington, George,--1732-1799
  • -  Jefferson, Thomas,--1743-1826
  • -  Hancock, John,--1737-1793
  • -  United States.--Declaration of Independence--1810-1820
  • -  State seals--1810-1820

Headings

  • Engravings--1810-1820.
  • Portrait prints--1810-1820.

Genre

  • Portrait prints--1810-1820
  • Engravings--1810-1820

Notes

  • -  Title from item.
  • -  Publication date based on copyright statement on item.
  • -  Printed across bottom: Originally designed by John Binns. Ornamental part drawn by Geo. Bridport. Arms of the United States, and the Thirteen States drawn from Official Documents by Thos. Sully. Portrait of Genl. Washington, painted in 1795 by Stuart. Portrait of Thomas Jefferson, painted in 1816 by Otis. Portrait of John Hancock, painted in 1765 by Copley. Ornamental Part, Arms of the United States, and the Thirteen States, engraved by Geo. Murray. The writing designed and engraved by C.H. Parker. Portraits engraved by J.B.Longacre. Printed by James Porter.
  • -  Sheet trimmed to within plate mark at top and sides.
  • -  Hart, 594
  • -  Forms part of: Popular graphic art print filing series (Library of Congress).
  • -  Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1819-1.

Medium

  • 1 print on wove paper : engraving and etching ; sheet 91.8 x 68 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • PGA - Binns (J.)--Declaration of Independence (D size) [P&P]

Source Collection

  • Popular graphic art print filing series (Library of Congress)

Repository

Digital Id

  • pga 01013 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.01013
  • cph 3a09080 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a09080
  • cph 3a00223 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00223
  • cph 3a00224 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00224
  • cph 3a00225 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00225
  • cph 3a00226 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00226
  • cph 3a00227 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00227
  • cph 3a00228 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00228
  • cph 3a00229 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00229
  • cph 3a00233 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00233
  • cph 3a00234 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00234
  • cph 3a00235 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00235
  • cph 3a00236 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00236
  • cph 3a00237 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00237
  • cph 3a00238 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00238
  • cph 3a00230 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00230
  • cph 3a00231 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00231
  • cph 3a00232 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00232

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2003690785

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-pga-01013 (digital file from original) LC-USZ62-5780 (b&w film copy neg.) LC-USZ6-226 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Georgia) LC-USZ6-227 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of South Carolina) LC-USZ6-228 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Virginia) LC-USZ6-229 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Delaware) LC-USZ6-230 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of New Jersey) LC-USZ6-231 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Connecticut) LC-USZ6-232 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Massachusetts) LC-USZ6-236 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of New Hampshire) LC-USZ6-237 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Rhode Island) LC-USZ6-238 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of New York) LC-USZ6-239 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Pennsylvania) LC-USZ6-240 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Maryland) LC-USZ6-241 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of North Carolina) LC-USZ6-233 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, John Hancock) LC-USZ6-234 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, George Washington) LC-USZ6-235 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, Thomas Jefferson)

Rights Advisory

  • No known restrictions on publication.

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

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  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-pga-01013 (digital file from original) LC-USZ62-5780 (b&w film copy neg.) LC-USZ6-226 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Georgia) LC-USZ6-227 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of South Carolina) LC-USZ6-228 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Virginia) LC-USZ6-229 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Delaware) LC-USZ6-230 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of New Jersey) LC-USZ6-231 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Connecticut) LC-USZ6-232 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Massachusetts) LC-USZ6-236 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of New Hampshire) LC-USZ6-237 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Rhode Island) LC-USZ6-238 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of New York) LC-USZ6-239 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Pennsylvania) LC-USZ6-240 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of Maryland) LC-USZ6-241 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, seal of North Carolina) LC-USZ6-233 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, John Hancock) LC-USZ6-234 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, George Washington) LC-USZ6-235 (b&w film copy neg. of detail, Thomas Jefferson)
  • Call Number: PGA - Binns (J.)--Declaration of Independence (D size) [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Binns, John, Copyright Claimant, George Bridport, Thomas Sully, Gilbert Stuart, Bass Otis, John Singleton Copley, George Murray, Charles H Parker, James Barton Longacre, and John Quincy Adams. Declaration of Independence. , 1818. [United States: Publisher not identified, published 1819 Printed by James Porter] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003690785/.

APA citation style:

Binns, J., Bridport, G., Sully, T., Stuart, G., Otis, B., Copley, J. S. [...] Adams, J. Q. (1818) Declaration of Independence. , 1818. [United States: Publisher not identified, published 1819 Printed by James Porter] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2003690785/.

MLA citation style:

Binns, John, Copyright Claimant, et al. Declaration of Independence. [United States: Publisher not identified, published 1819 Printed by James Porter] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2003690785/>.