THE FORCE PRINTING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 

William J. Stone, engraver. In Congress, July 4, 1776. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. Engraving on rice paper. [Washington, D.C.], circa 1833. Imprint to lower left reads "W.J. STONE SC. WASHn." Approx. 24 1/4 x 28 1/2 in. Matted and framed to 32 3/4 x 36 in.

A copy of the Force printing of the Declaration of Independence, a very rare and early printing of the United States' foundational document. 

In 1823, engraver William Stone created the first facsimile plate of the Declaration of Independence. He first approached John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State, in July 1820 to create an exact copy of the document. He produced the first impression by October 1822 and ultimately printed 200 copies on vellum, plus one copy for himself (donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1888). 

Kaller gives a succinct account of the second edition, known as the Force Printing: "Stone's plate was next used in some fashion to print a second edition - on paper, not vellum - for inclusion in historian Peter Force's American Archives: A Documentary History of the United States of America. Most descriptions date the 'Force' printing to 1848, when American Archives Series V, Volume I, which included the folded Declarations, was finally published. But Force had already procured the Declaration facsimiles 15 years earlier for 1,500 copies of his work. On July 21, 1833, Stone invoiced Force for 4,000 prints of the Declaration. Perhaps Force thought he could sell as many as 2,500 additional copies of American Archives by subscription. In 1843, Force received Congressional re-authorization, but with mounting expenses and increasing delays, he scaled back his subscription plan to 500 copies." (Seth Kaller, America's National Treasure: The Declaration of Independence & William J. Stone's Official Facsimile, pp. 17-18)

A fine and handsomely presented copy of the Force printing of one of America's treasures. 

Literature: 

John Bidwill. "American History in Image and Text." American Antiquarian Society. Vol. 98, Part 2, October 1988, pp. 247-302. Online PDF.

Seth Kaller. America's National Treasure: The Declaration of Independence & William J. Stone's Official Facsimile. Washington, D.C.: Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, [2014]. PDF available via Issu.

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Broadsides, Ephemera, Printing, Posters, Handbills, Documents] [American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America] [George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock]

Short margin tear, approx 1 in.