Declaration of Independence, Printed on Silk, Circa 1830

Presented is a rare and magnificent early printing of the Declaration of Independence on silk. The silk broadside was printed by stereotype by James Conner, in New York. Printed circa 1830, this silk broadside was one of the earlier printings of the Declaration, in any form, sold to the American public. 

Following the War of 1812, Americans began to look back, for the first time with historical perspective, on the era of the founding of the country. With nostalgia and curiosity, many Americans began to examine the details of the nation’s founding. Documents like the debates of the Constitutional Convention, first laws of the United States, and the Declaration were printed for public consumption for the first time. 

Entrepreneurial publishers hoped to fill this demand and rushed to produce the first engraved printing of the Declaration of Independence. The first to do so was Benjamin Owen Tyler in 1818, who produced an elegantly staid engraving with impressively faithful facsimile signatures. Tyler’s business rival John Binns started his own design more than a year before Tyler, yet his more decorative engraving was not published until 1819, two months on the heels of an eerily similar Declaration design by Philadelphia printer William Woodruff. In this very competitive market, Binns went so far as to sue Woodruff for stealing his design, but was unsuccessful in his lawsuit. These three Declaration designs were followed in 1820 by an ornamental broadside by Eleazar Huntington and a silk broadside by Frenchman H. Brunet. 

Following in those early traditions, this 1830s silk design by James Conner features the text of the Declaration of Independence, printed in black ink in two columns. Conner emphasized selected key words and phrases in italics, small caps, and full caps, such as “life,” “liberty,” “free and independent states,” and “rights of the people”. Below, the list of the names of signers is printed in type in six short columns. A spreadwing eagle, with a bundle of arrows and laurel leaves in each talon, surmounts the top of the Declaration text. This patriotic symbol is closely followed with the two line stanza, “ When God from chaos gave the world to be, Man then he formed, and formed him to be free!” The whole is framed by a patterned geometric border. 

Between 1820 and 1840, it was a common practice to print a very limited number of presentation copies of important broadsides on silk. To give an example, the original ledger book for Benjamin Owen Tyler’s 1818 Declaration broadside lists roughly 1,694 copies sold on paper, 40 vellum versions, 3 linen printings, and only 3 printed on silk. Due to both their scarcity and the significant cost of silk, these silk broadsides were accorded a premium value in the marketplace over paper versions of a similar nature.  Now, because of their notoriously fragile medium, silk broadsides are especially coveted. Historical silk pieces like this one are rarely seen on the market and thus would surely be a stunning addition to any serious American history collection. 

CONDITION. 

Condition is excellent for the medium. The silk retains its full sheen. The printing is bold and well struck, with rich tone and clarity to the text. The publisher’s details "Stereotyped by James Conner, Franklin Buildings, New- York," are found at bottom. Fraying along both side margins, intact top and bottom margins. Scattered light staining and light toning, more present at bottom and along center crease line. Ink inscription on bottom verso, with faint bleed through. Silk Dimensions: 15" H x 10 7/8" W.

The silk has been archivally framed in a gold wooden frame, with acid-free 8ply mats and UV glass.  Framed Dimensions: 20 1/8" H x 16 1/8" W x 1" D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.