POSSIBLE CENTENNIAL-ERA DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FACSIMILE ON TEXTURED PARCHMENT, CIRCA 1876 STYLE, 19.5IN x 21IN (50cm x 53cm)

Inventory #: 25-1295 - $550.00

A visually exceptional and intriguing Declaration of Independence facsimile printed on heavily textured parchment, reproducing the complete historic document and the celebrated signatures of the 56 signers of American independence. Based upon its parchment construction, reduced historic format, typography and overall appearance, this example warrants consideration as a possible late-19th-century, American Centennial-era facsimile, although no publisher's imprint or definitive date has been located and the precise date of manufacture remains unconfirmed. The document measures approximately 17.5 x 19 inches, with an exact framed measurement of 19.5 x 21 inches. Across the top appears the iconic heading IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 followed by The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America. Below is the complete Declaration rendered in period script and culminating in an impressive field of facsimile signatures. At center is the unmistakable oversized signature of John Hancock, surrounded by those of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Harrison, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Edward Rutledge, Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery, John Penn and the other historic signers. The approximately 17.5 x 19-inch format is also noteworthy. During the period surrounding America's 1876 Centennial, multiple commercial and commemorative facsimiles of the Declaration were produced in reduced formats, including examples derived from the celebrated early-19th-century facsimile tradition associated with William J. Stone. Documented Centennial-period Declaration facsimiles survive in several formats and sizes, including James D. McBride, Columbian and Continental Publishing Company examples measuring approximately 14–15 x 19–20 inches, as well as other variants. Known examples were produced on thin specialty or imitation-parchment-type material and were intended to commemorate the nation's first hundred years. The historical resonance of this piece is especially compelling in 2026—the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States. This piece is matted and framed in a golden frame and it was acquired from a Central Virginia estate. With frame, this piece measures 25 inches x 34 inches.