1876 Declaration of Independence Centennial Memorial Broadside by James D. Mcbride, Published by Columbian Publishing Company

Presented is a handsome 1874 lithographic Declaration of Independence Centennial Memorial Broadside, issued by James D. McBride and printed by the Columbian Publishing Company of New York in anticipation of the centennial of American independence. The broadside reproduces the complete text and signatures of the Declaration of Independence. Its elaborate ornamental border incorporates classical architectural columns entwined with starred ribbons, while the upper portion is dominated by a dramatic spread-wing bald eagle flanked by six American flags. The eagle grasps an American shield, arrows, and branches, while dramatic clouds with lightning and arrows loom behind the eagle. 

Of particular interest is the printed endorsement of the Department of the Interior at lower left, accompanied by a printed seal and the certification by the Secretary: “I certify this is a perfect Facsimile of the original Document now on deposit in the Patent Office at Washington D.C.” The lower right contains an advertisement for Robert & George R. Brine, The Great Clothiers, at “365 Washington Street, Old Number 201, Boston” advertising fine furnishing goods. Such advertising is an important feature of the issue. Surviving examples are known with different commercial advertisements, including an example bearing an advertisement for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company and another for J. W. Le Mastre. The advertising card in the present example obscures a portion of the reproduced signatures, while the broadside's lower margin explicitly offered purchasers an alternative, at a price: for 50 cents, the Columbian Publishing Company would mail a copy printed on plate paper with a red seal and without the advertising card.

The broadside is recorded as No. 36 in Paul C. Bidwell's American History in Image and Text. Bidwell describes the issue as a lithographic facsimile of the entire Declaration printed on imitation parchment and surrounded by an ornamental border, with several known variants. Copies without advertisements were offered for 50 cents or one dollar and could feature a red departmental seal and/or a view of Independence Hall. Other surviving examples bear the nearly identical imprint of the Continental Publishing Company of Philadelphia. 

Issued two years before the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, this broadside belongs to the broader wave of patriotic publishing that accompanied the approaching Centennial of our country’s independence. Thanks to its combination of elaborate patriotic iconography, commercial advertising, and multiple documented variants, the broadside is an especially interesting example of nineteenth-century American commemorative printing for the masses.

CONDITION: 

Very good+ condition. Printed lithographic broadside, on very thin paper. Wrinkles, small tears in margins, fold lines from past storage, small pinprick holes along vertical fold lines. Light toning to paper, small scattered stains, including some inking marks from printing, faint foxing marks at bottom.  "Columbian Publishing Company, Inc. 116 Nassau St. New York" printed at bottom lower right margin. The broadside is "Copyrighted in the year 1874 by James D. McBride" at lower left margin. Sheet Dimensions: 19 3/4 " H x 14 3/4" W. 

Archivally framed in a custom-built wooden frame with acid-free top mats and UV Conservation Clear glass. 

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.