By 1820 the original Declaration of Independence showed serious signs of deterioration and wear from handling. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned William Stone to engrave an exact copy of the original onto a copper plate, and in 1823 Congress ordered 200 official copies printed on vellum. (Fewer than 40 of Stone’s printings on vellum are known to have survived.) All subsequent exact facsimiles of the Declaration descend from this Stone plate. Twenty years later Congress commissioned Peter Force to compile and publish The American Archives.

Basing his work on Stone’s original plate, Force prepared full-size prints of the Declaration of Independence on special rice paper – his printing proved to be one of the best representations of the original manuscript Declaration, with remarkably exact renditions of the signers’ signatures. While Congress authorized the printing of 1500 copies of American Archives, subscriptions for this elaborate and expensive multi-volume edition did not sell well; perhaps as few as 500 sets were ultimately issued.

We are pleased to offer a fine copy of what has come to be called the Force Declaration, unfolded to its majestic 26 by 29 inches and very handsomely framed. Browse our current selection.