Auction Name: 2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 47073

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/6328*47073

Peter Force's 1833 Printing of the Declaration of Independence. Copperplate engraving on rice paper, 25 1/2 x 29 1/8 inches, [Washington]; 1833. Engraved by William J. Stone, printed for Peter Force in 1833 (historically misdated as 1848) from Stone's copperplate.

This printing of the Declaration of Independence appeared as an insert in American Archives: A Documentary History of the United States of America, Series V, Volume 1, compiled by Peter Force. Crafted by printer William J. Stone in 1823, the copperplate used to produce the present copy was originally commissioned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams in 1820. Over the course of the next three years, Stone painstakingly traced the plate from the original Declaration of Independence. After completing 200 copies, Stone removed the legend from the top of the copperplate and added the imprint "W.J. STONE SC. WASHN." In 1833, Congress authorized the publication of another 1500 copies. Peter Force, historical enthusiast and mayor of Washington, D.C., arranged for his friend Stone to produce the facsimiles. The printer vastly surpassed the agreed-upon amount, invoicing Force on July 21, 1833, for 4000 prints. Despite the high number, it is believed that only a few hundred of Force's printings exist today, present example included.

Stone's copperplate remains the most familiar reproduction of the Declaration of Independence to this day.

Condition: Creased along folds. Single small closed tear near the center, affecting one letter. Small chip at the center of the left edge. A few very light stains.

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