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[John Binns]. Declaration of Independence. In Congress. July 4th. 1776. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United...
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Description
"...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
[John Binns]. Declaration of Independence. In
Congress. July 4th. 1776. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen
United States of America... [Philadelphia: John
Binns, 1819]. One sheet measuring 26.75 x 35.625 inches. Engraved
facsimile broadside of the Declaration of Independence originally
designed by John Binns, meticulously hand-colored, with medallions
of seals of the thirteen original colonies forming a decorative
oval surrounding the text. At the top are medallion portraits of
founding fathers John Hancock, George Washington, and Thomas
Jefferson, above which is an eagle with shield, olive branch, and
arrows holding a streamer reading "E Pluribus Unum." At the
bottom, it bears an engraved endorsement of Secretary of State John
Quincy Adams attesting to its accuracy, "Department of State,
19th, April 1819. I certify, that this is a Correct copy of the
original Declaration of Independence, deposited at this Department;
and that I have compared all the signatures of the original, and
found them Exact Imitations." The writing was designed and
engraved by C. H. Parker, with portraits engraved by J. B.
Longacre. Printed by James Porter. Copyright imprint for John Binns
dated November 4, 1818.In the aftermath of the War of 1812, a resurgence of patriotism and national pride arose in America. People had begun to revere the famous document that declared the nation's independence nearly forty years earlier as many of its signers were aging and dying. The original Declaration of Independence was available for viewing only to the privileged. John Binns, an Irish-born Philadelphia journalist and publisher of the Democratic Press, was one of the first to realize in June of 1816 of the potential market for a "splendid and correct copy of the Declaration of Independence, with fac-similes of all the signatures, the whole to be encircled with the arms of the thirteen States and of the United States" (as described in his solicitation for subscribers). He promised delivery in one year, but the enormity of the undertaking delayed publication until 1819, by which time a competitor, Benjamin Owen Tyler, had rushed a less elaborate facsimile into production.
Tyler may have beaten Binns to the printer, but Binns' extraordinary attention to detail, as evidenced by this stunning copy, overshadows his competitor's efforts, and he can certainly be given credit for doing superior work; he used as many as five artists at a time to work on the design. He borrowed portraits to copy, gathered models for the thirteen state seals, and even painted the American eagle from life. This particular piece has been methodically and vibrantly hand-colored, enhancing and highlighting even the minutest of Binns' detail, making this unique example among the finest we have handled. It was exhibited at the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center at Mount Vernon from October 2006 to January 2007.
Condition: Contemporaneously backed with thick paper with a series of early paper repairs to verso. Some marginal closed tears, four of which just affect text or images; two at the upper margin extend into the image slightly and measure 3 inches and 3.5 inches; two at the bottom margin cross some text and measure 2 inches each. Toned with light scattered foxing. Pencil notations and one piece of archival tape to verso. Paper attachment to upper and lower margins on verso, presumably related to prior mounting. Offsetting from the recto showing through to the verso.
Reference: Bidwell, American History in Image and Text, 5; Hart 594.
Provenance: Walter R. Benjamin Autographs, December 13, 1976. From the Melvin "Pete" Mark, Jr. Collection
Auction Info
2022 December 1 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6267 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2022
1st
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 3
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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