Beschreibung:

Declaration of IndependenceIn Congress, July 4, 1776. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. When in the Course of Human Events. … Washington, D.C.: engraved & printed by William J. Stone 1823 or after Engraved broadside on paper (767 x 632 mm, sight). A few light creases and neatly repaired tears. Matted, framed, and glazed. In 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams grew concerned over the fragile condition of the Declaration—which, after New York changed its vote on independence to yes, had its title altered from "A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America" to "The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America"—and, with the approval of Congress, he commissioned William J. Stone to engrave an exact copy on a copper plate. Stone’s engraving is the best representation of the Declaration as the manuscript looked prior to its now nearly complete deterioration. Stone worked on the engraving for close to three years, keeping the original in his shop. When the engraving was completed, the Department of State commissioned Stone to print 200 copies on vellum (he kept one for himself as well, later donated by his descendants to the Smithsonian). By a congressional resolution of 26 May 1824, the vellum copies were distributed as follows: "two copies to each of the surviving Signers of the Declaration of Independence (John Adams Thomas Jefferson Charles Carroll of Carrollton), two copies to the President of the United States (James Monroe); two copies to the Vice-President of the United States (Daniel D. Thompkins); two copies to the late President, Mr. Madison; two copies to the Marquis de Lafayette; twenty copies for the two houses of Congress; twelve copies for the different departments of the Government (State, Treasury, Justice, Navy, War and Postmaster); two copies for the President's House; two copies for the Supreme Court room; one copy for each of the Governors of the States and one copy to the Council of each Territory; and the remaining copies to different Universities and Colleges of the United States, as the President of the United States may direct." (One of the copies given to Charles Carroll was sold earlier this year by Freeman's for $4,420,000.) After William J. Stone had printed 201 copies on vellum of his monumental facsimile of the signed Declaration on parchment, the legend in the upper margins "Engraved by W. I. Stone for the Dept. of State by order of J. Q. Adams, Sec. of State July 4, 1823" was burnished out. Stone then engraved his name in lower left quadrant, just below George Walton's signature: "W. J. Stone SC Washn," which appears on copies printed on paper, possibly because Stone sold them on his own account. Years later, Stone received $1,524.74 for the use of his copperplate in Peter Force's American Archives (5th ser., vol. 1: 1848). As early as 1839, Force wrote to the Secretary of the Treasury: "Out of money coming due to us for the publication … pay to Stone." Congress had authorized the printing of 1,500 copies on fine rice paper for insertion in the publication, but subscriptions were few and perhaps only 500 were issued. Mrs. Goldman's copy of the Stone facsimile of the Declaration was exhibited at the Asia Society in 2020 as part of a special project of the Asia Society Triennial, "We The People: Xu Bing and Sun Xun Respond to the Declaration of Independence." REFERENCEBidwell 7: "American History in Image and Text," in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society (Vol. 98, part 2; 1989); Coleman, "Counting the Stones," in Manuscripts (Vol. 43, no. 2; Spring 1991), pp. 98, 105, n. 14; cf. Kaller, "America's National Treasure: The Declaration of Independence & William J. Stone's Official Facsimile" (2014)