Declaration of Independence. Beautiful rice paper copy of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Impressively matted and framed to 39½ x 34¾ inches, the visible portion of the document is 28¾ x 24½ inches (unframed it measures 29 x 25½ inches). Normal folds are very faint, the toning is a lovely, even, light-toast color, and there is minor ink offset. As expected, "W.J. STONE SC. WASHN." is engraved below the names of the three Signers in the first row on the left.
In 1823, William J. Stone was commissioned by Congress to create a copperplate from which facsimile copies of the Declaration could be made. He did this by wetting the original document and transferring some of the original ink to the copperplate. From this plate, Stone printed 201 copies on parchment, which were given to President James Monroe, original Signers, members of Congress, colleges and institutions, etc. Stone's personal copy is in the Smithsonian. Only 31 of Stone's original 201 copies are known to exist; nineteen of these reside in museums and examples are rarely offered for sale.
In 1843, Congress authorized Peter Force to make up to 1500 rice-paper copies of the Declaration from the original Stone copperplate, to be included in his nine-volume set of
American Archives. Subscriptions were fewer than expected, and the actual number of copies printed is unknown, ranging from 500 to around 1,000. It is not known how many of these copies have survived and most of the Declarations have been removed from the volume in which they were folded. This copy is exceptionally attractive and handsomely framed, ready for immediate display.
Estimated Value $18,000 - 20,000.
Colonial and Revolutionary America
