1823 W.J. Stone Engraving of the Declaration of Independence
In July 1775, the Second Continental Congress declared our independence from Britain,
and on August 2, 1776 a handwritten version of their Declaration of Independence was prepared
for the signatures of the members of the Congress. American Patriot John Hancock, acting as
President of the Second Continental Congress, conducted what was perhaps as his most famous
act—he was the first to sign his name to the Declaration of Independence. Between August 2,
1776 and January 19, 1777, this "official" document was signed by 55 other members of the
Congress, forever ensuring our rights "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness."
Over the years, the quality of the document deteriorated as well-intentioned citizens
attempted to make copies of the Declaration of Independence. Originally produced on inferior
parchment, the Declaration was copied through a method of pressing wet paper directly on the
document, thus lifting ink and paper fibers while seriously damaging the original image.
Eventually, the Declaration was entrusted for safekeeping to the National Archives and
Records Administration in Washington, D.C. Alarmed by the disintegrating state of the
document, in 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned his friend, William J.
Stone, to create an official facsimile of the embossed Declaration of Independence, including
signatures. To do so, Mr. Stone soaked the original document in a salt water solution, pressed it
on a copper plate and from that, began to engrave. It took three years to complete, and only 201
copies were made. These copies were made on high quality parchment, while a later press run,
assumed to have taken place in 1847, was printed on paper. These copies were created after Mr.
Stone had fallen on hard times and recognized an opportunity to capitalize on the use of the
plate. In 1847, when American patriotism was on an upswing as a result of the Mexican
American war, he decided to pull the plate out of storage and printed about 2,000 copies on
paper. As a result of his entrepreneurial spirit, he died a wealthy man. In both instances Stone
reproductions have become extremely scarce. In 2002, only 30 of the 1823 copies were known to
exist.