Antique facsimile of the broadside of the "Declaration of Independence" printed by John Dunlap in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. Facsimile of Dunlap's later printing.

The Congress ordered the committee that drafted the Declaration to oversee the printing of the Declaration. A fair copy was made of the amended draft and hand carried by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to the printing office of John Dunlap in Philadelphia on the afternoon of the 4. The Declaration was printed that night into the early morning of July 5. John Hancock, President of Congress began to send out "official copies" on the 5th and 6th of July to all thirteen Colonies, ordering them to print the Declaration in their newspapers and generally distribute the news as they saw fit."

In the earlier state the "P" of Philadelphia is under the comma after Thomson's name, in the later state the "P" is under the "n" in Thomson's name. In our copy "P" is located between "S" and "e" in Secretary, while "Philadelphia: printed by John Dunlap" is moved more to the middle.

The entire sheet is 11" x 17" [28cm x 43cm]; the block of text itself is 9.3/4" x 14.3/4" [25.4cm x 37.2cm]; the picture mat is 14.1/8" x 18.7/8" [35.5cm x 48cm]; coated laid paper with two cursive watermarks "Classified" (?), some aging, waving and wear, very good condition.

This document is the facsimile of the first printed version of the 'American Declaration of Independence'.

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution urging Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, to declare independence from Great Britain. Four days later, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston were appointed as a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee's draft was read in Congress on June 28. On July 4, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, containing a list of grievances against the British crown. The document was printed and circulated throughout the colonies in the form of a broadside. Broadsides were large sheets of paper, usually printed on one side, that were popular in the 18th century as a means for the rapid distribution of important information. They were posted in town halls and coffee houses, read in churches and public meetings, and often reprinted or excerpted in local newspapers.

The Declaration comes with the picture mat.

Rates vary per zone/ country, we will adjust shipping costs with the invoice.

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) ------------ $22.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ----- $46.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ------ $64.50