IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776, the Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. Engraved broadside. N.p.: N.p., [circa 1819?]. Approx. (broadside only) 20 1/2 x 26 1/4 in. Cloth-backed and mounted as scroll with early wooden stretcher and dowel. 

A very rare, possibly untraced, early decorative printing of the Declaration of Independence. The text is engraved in full with facsimile signatures. A large portrait of George Washington is at the head of the text beneath a spread-winged eagle and a panoply of arms. He is flanked by portraits of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, with the border continuing with the seals of the original 13 states entwined with oak vines. 

The work has no imprints or copyright statements but bears remarkable similarity to the decorative broadside designed by John Binns that was then pirated by journeyman William Woodruff. 

John Binns, the originator of the dramatic new design in 1818, incorporated portraits of Washington alongside those of Thomas Jefferson and John Hancock. Woodruff copied the design, exchanging John Adams for Hancock. Perhaps as a time-saving maneuver to beat Binns to the market, he used typset signatures rather than facsimiles. The ploy was effective, as Woodruff issued his in February 1819, and Binns's lawsuit to halt the sale was unsuccessful. (c.f. a lengthy discussion in Bidwell). 

The present copy bears all the design features of the Woodruff copy (Bidwell 4; Hart 595), with a portrait of Washington in civilian clothes (Binns's is a sophisticated likeness in military uniform) alongside the portrait of Adams rather than Hancock. Notably, the overall shape of the border and text is a rectangle, rather than the distinct ovals of the Binns-Woodruff copies. The oak leaf vines are also markedly different. We can only speculate that it may be an untraced iteration of Woodruff's broadside, or perhaps another pirated edition altogether. At the time of cataloguing, we found no other identical copies to the present example. 

A highly presentable illustrated early copy of the Declaration of Independence that may reveal more secrets of its creation and printing history with more investigation. 

References

John Bidwell. "American History in Image and Text." Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society.  Vol. 98, Issue 1 (1 January 1988), p. 247-302. 

Charles Henry Hart. Catalogue of the Engraved Portraits of Washington. New York: The Grolier Club, 1904. 

[American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe] [Art, Folk Art, Military Art, Etching, Engraving, Lithographs, Prints, Ephemera]

Broadside appears to have varnish applied. Toned, some abrasions throughout. MInor wear at edges.