Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 5

Extremely Early Copy of the Declaration of Independence on Silk, circa 1820-1825

About the Item

Extremely early copy of the Declaration of Independence on silk, designed after Woodruff, engraved by H. Brunet Et Cie, Lyon, France, circa 1820-1825: Frame size: 39.25" x 32", textile 28" x 20.75" Declaration of Independence, engraved on silk and signed by H. Brunet of Lyon, France. Made circa 1820-1825 for distribution to the American market, the image is executed after a well-known engraving by American William Woodruff, which he published in Philadelphia on parchment in 1819. Before 1818, Americans were not able to view copies of the Declaration of Independence. The text had been published in some newspapers, but there were no large-scale, printed copies that reproduced the actual document or any representation thereof. John Binns began taking subscriptions to fund a facsimile of the Declaration in 1816, but failed to produce the work until three years later, in April of 1819. In the meantime, rival printer, Benjamin Owen Tyler, became the first to publish an engraved rendition, which he released in 1818. Printed on parchment, velum, linen and silk, this appeared in a simple, unembellished style, without pictorial imagery. Almost all were printed on parchment. Today just four of Tyler's engravings are estimated to survive that are printed on cloth. This is actually a fairly remarkable number, because, according to Declaration expert Seth Kaller, only 6 may have ever been ordered. Tyler's original ledger book is among the holdings of the University of Virginia, where it is part of the Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence Collection. Having had the opportunity to pour through the book to compile data, Kaller counted "roughly 1,694 copies sold on paper, 40 on vellum, 3 on silk, and 3 on linen." The Binns version was to be much more fanciful. In his design, the text appeared within an oval wreath that featured circular medallions containing the seals of the original colonies, crowned by formal portraits of George Washington, John Adams, and John Hancock. Washington's image, in the top center, is cradled by cornucopia, set beneath a Federal eagle, and flanked to the right and left by groups of battle flags, tipped at ninety degrees in reverence to the general. The base of the oval is adorned with wheat spray and laurel leaves. While Binns was developing his design, the concept for it is alleged to have been stolen by William Woodruff, who formerly worked for an employee of Binns' by the name of George Murray. While working for Binns, Murray had been responsible for designing the Arms of the United States and the 13 state seals on his version of the Declaration. Woodruff went about producing a very similar printing, with some alterations, including different portraits of Washington and Jefferson, the replacement of John Hancock's portrait with one of John Adams. The Woodruff design had signatures that were uniformly printed in script (save for the signature of Hancock), rather than being facsimiles of the actual signatures. He included trumpets in the array of flags, slightly raised, plus a much larger eagle and branches of oak that were woven through the entire wreath. Woodruff completed the project at a lower cost and released his version two months before Binns, in February of 1819 as opposed to April. Binns accused Woodruff of stealing his concept and filed a lawsuit against him, but lost because the magistrate declared that “neither the design, nor general arrangement of the print, nor the parts which composed it, were the invention of the plaintiff.” In or about 1820, the Woodruff version was copied in black ink on white silk by H. Brunet in Lyon, France. Producing for the American market, it reproduced the Woodruff illustration almost exactly, with but minor differences. Most notable is a Fine black border with 6-pointed white stars in relief, each with a pierced center. Brunet's title in the bottom center actually includes Woodruff's name. This reads: "To the People of the United States this Engraving of Declaration of Independence is most respectfully inscribed: Woodruff." The title is the same as that on Woodruff's printings, but omits the closing words "by a fellow citizen." On Woodruff's own versions, his name appears on a lower line, proceeded by either "Wm." or "William" (two styles are known). The body of the Declaration in the Brunet example is very similar, but is laid out a bit differently. The calligraphic signatures are also different. The Brunet version includes his signature in Fine script, to the lower right of the medallion in the bottom center. Wrapping around the oak leaves, this reads: "Lith di H. Brunet Cie. a Lyon". An example of the Brunet printing is in the collection of the New York Historical Society and is documented in "Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present" by Herbert Ridgeway Collins (1979, Smithsonian Press) as item 57 on p. 72. Collins lists two versions, one by Decombreause and one by Brunet, both in Lyon, but this appears to be an error.* Whatever the case may be, the Frenchman, Brunet, seems to have foreseen the opportunity to produce a superior object for a more discriminating client, printed on the finest cloth instead of parchment. He may have forecast increased interest in purchasing copies of the Declaration with the forthcoming 50-year anniversary of American Independence in 1826, and/or in accompaniment of Lafayette's final visit to America and his nation-wide tour in conjunction with the event (July 1824 - Sept. 1825). In summary, this is one of the earliest copies of the Declaration in any form that was made available to the American people. It was printed on the finest cloth, during the Federal period, and on the heels of another British defeat in the War of 1812. The French town of Lyon was known for its expertise in silk manufacturing. French involvement in the American victory during the Revolutionary War and the ongoing French conflicts with the British add a degree of color to the origin of this textile, surviving examples of which are extremely rare. Thus far my research has uncovered approximately four known examples, of which this is one. It is of interest to note that the first identical copies of the Declaration of Independence were not made until 1823. With the 50-year anniversary of the document close at hand, fear of the degradation of the original caused John Quincy Adams to seek out the services of William J. Stone of Washington, D.C., who soaked the original in order to make a copperplate engraving. Stone then printed a copy on rice paper for each state and each surviving signer. It was not copied again until 1843, when the Stone plate was allowed to be used by Peter Force for another printing that was inserted in a book. Mounting: The textile was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by masters degree trained staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples. The gilded American molding is ca 1870 and so is earlier than the flag. The glazing is U.V. protective plexiglass. Feel free to contact us for more details. Condition: There is moderate to significant foxing and soiling at the top and bottom and on the outer edges to the left and right, accompanied by much more minor exposure to this elsewhere. There is some fabric breakdown with associated loss around the perimeter, mostly on the white edge beyond the black border, though slightly into the border in limited areas. Fabric of similar coloration was placed behind the textile during the mounting process for masking purposes. The underlay fabric was professionally painted where necessary to match. About Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Inc.: As an advisor to top museums and collectors alike, Jeff Bridgman is the world's leading expert and source for antique American flags and political textiles. In this field there are many fakes, forgeries, and misrepresented items, and there is no substitute for experience. As the nation's leading buyer and seller, Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Inc. has handled more material than anyone in the field. Jeff has also operated a textile conservation business for 18 years, where expert staff have conservation mounted, framed and restored thousands of examples, more than anyone world-wide. There seems to be a discrepancy of some sort in the Collins text, which describes the NYHS example as "lithographed by "Decombreause," Lyon, France," and appearing in "Black on Yellow" silk, and measuring 27 1/2" x 28". The textile pictured by Collins is obviously not square, as the measurements would suggest. At the end of the Collins citation, he notes "A similar silk bandana was lithographed by H. Brunet et Cie, Lyon, France ca 1820 in size 28 1/4" x 21 1/8." Both the Brunet textile at the NYHS, and the one in question in this write-up, appear to match the rectangular one that is actually pictured by Collins. The on-line database for the NYHS includes a citation for an H. Brunet version in their collection, but mentions nothing about one by "Decombreause." Internet searches for a Decombreause version resulted in zero hits and I can find no record of any printer or engraver by that name. It seems likely that the Collins citation faced some editing issues. Maybe Decombreause was the engraver, while H. Brunet was the printer, but the name could have simply been transposed from somewhere in error. Whatever the case may be, a signature at the bottom of the textile in question in this write-up reads "Lith di H. Brunet Cie. a Lyon." As for the color of the silk being listed as "yellow," it may be that the textile was once white and oxidized towards yellow, and was subsequently recorded as such by someone compiling the data in the museum. Further, the width was probably "21 1/2", mis-transposed by someone as 27 1/2", misreading the "1" as a "7". If this is true, then the tiny remaining differences of 3/8" and 1/8", in width and height, between what Collins records in his book and what the NYHS records today on their website, is probably just margin of error. The two are probably one-in-the-same. Early textiles are seldom ever square and the slight inaccuracy of two people measuring the same textiles would not be big surprise. My research has uncovered many discrepancies throughout the Collins text, but by stating this I mean no disrespect to the author. In all fairness, the 566-page book, with its compilation of 1,501 objects from all-over the country, would have been very difficult to produce in 1979, with no digital formatting. The book was never reprinted. The opportunity to edit digitally and to reprint would have certainly coincided with tons of corrections. Collins' work is both magnificent and invaluable in the study of early American political cloth.

Dimensions:
Height: 39.25 in (99.7 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Silk,Engraved
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1820-1829
Date of Manufacture:
1820-1825
Condition:
Minor losses. See item description.
Seller Location:
York County, PA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU84978552763

Antique 1870s American High Victorian Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Cotton

Declaration of Independence, Printed on Cotton, Circa 1876

$6,500

H 28.5 in W 30 in D 1.5 in

Declaration of Independence Printed Scarf

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Presented is a patriotic silk scarf, celebrating the Declaration of Independence. At center of the silk scarf design is artistic rendering of the Declaration of Independence. The famous text and signatures are printed in black ink on white silk. A border of bright red encloses the text, with a five-pointed white star set against a blue square appearing at each corner. This is a newly made silk scarf, printed to celebrate our Nation's foundational text. The United States Declaration of Independence...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Declaration of Independence Printed Scarf

$2,000

$102,106

Free Shipping

H 27.56 in W 56.3 in D 44.1 in

31-Star Printed American Flag, Celebrating California Statehood, Circa 1850

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

This is a rare 31-star medallion printed American flag, celebrating the addition of California to the Union. The flag is printed on silk and has a spectacular “Great Star” canton pat...

Category

Antique 1850s American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Silk

31-Star Printed American Flag, Celebrating California Statehood, Circa 1850

$38,500

H 43 in W 50.5 in D 2.5 in

"The Second World War, " by Winston Churchill

By Houghton Mifflin Co.

Located in Austin, TX

The Second World War by Winston Churchill from Houghton-Mifflin Company, Boston. A vintage edition of Winston Churchill's six-volume memoir, The Second World War, for which he was a...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Books

Materials

Paper

"The Second World War, " by Winston Churchill

$595

H 8.5 in W 10.25 in D 6 in

William Mary Rare Pewter Trefid Spoon with Portraits, Circa 1690

Located in Bishop s Stortford, Hertfordshire

Very rare William and Mary pewter trefid spoon the handle molded in relief with portraits and dating from around 1690. The spoon has an elongated rounded ...

Category

Antique 17th Century English William and Mary Political and Patriotic Me...

Materials

Pewter

William Mary Rare Pewter Trefid Spoon with Portraits, Circa 1690

$3,100 / set

Free Shipping

H 6.89 in W 1.58 in D 0.4 in

19th c Wooden Ceremonial Fraternal Masonic Crook and Metal Spear on Metal Bases

Located in Savannah, GA

Large size gold gilt wooden ceremonial fraternal Masonic Crook perched on a long painted wooden pole. Supported by a decorative three-footed metal base, the gilt wood crook itself me...

Category