Framed "Declaration of Independence" from the Printing Office of Edes & Gill in Boston
Now available in two frame styles. Includes museum-grade acrylic (non-glare, UV-filtering). All made in America.
About the frame: 19" x 13". Made in America solid wood frame.
About the print: As was the case with the original broadsides, there is variability in ink coverage. As a result, you should not expect the same crisp, consistent ink coverage that we are used to with material printed on modern presses.
We use a museum-grade, non-glare acrylic that offers UV-protection. (We do not frame these with a mat. It seems more authentic and less like fine art without a mat.)
Important note on care of framed prints: Use a microfiber cloth or similar to remove dust and fingerprints. Do not use household cleaners on the frame or on the acrylic.
Watch the Declaration being printed
This longer video (6:18) shows the printing of the Declaration and includes additional information on the history of the Declaration and of printing.
About Benjamin Edes & John Gill
On April 7, 1755, Edes and Gill became the proprietors of The Boston Gazette and Country Journal. According to the author of Infamous Scribblers (2006), the Boston Gazette, arguably the most influential newspaper the country has ever known, got us into the Revolutionary War, sped up the course of the war and may have even determined the outcome of the war.
Historical Background: The Declaration of Independence
"The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of The United States of America. Written by Thomas Jefferson, (one of the five members of the Committee that Congress had appointed to draft the document. Other members being: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman) between June 11th and June 28th 1776.
Congress voted for Independency on July 2nd and then took up Jefferson’s draft for the next two days. Eighty-six alterations were made to the draft and congress approved the document on July 4th, 1776.
Congress then ordered the committee that drafted the Declaration to oversee the printing of the Declaration. A fair copy was made of the amended draft and hand carried by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to the printing office of John Dunlap in Philadelphia on the afternoon of the 4th. The Declaration was printed that night into the early morning of July 5th. John Hancock, President of Congress began to send out “official copies” on the 5th and 6th of July to all thirteen Colonies, ordering them to print the Declaration in their newspapers and generally distribute the news as they saw fit.
The first printing of the Declaration in Boston
The “official” copy of the Declaration arrived about July 15th in Boston. The patriot printer John Gill set it in type on the 16th and printed on the 17th ready for distribution on the 18th of July. On the 18th, the Declaration was read from the balcony of the Old State House for the first time. Large crowds gathered to hear the address.
Just two editions of the Boston Printing of the Declaration broadside were published by Gill and then it disappeared from history. Only three copies from this John Gill edition have survived. In June 2009 Christie's auctioned a rare Boston imprint of the Declaration.
One original copy was located in the collection of the Bostonian Society by Gary Gregory, founder and Shop Master of the recreated Edes & Gill. Gary then had all 9.000 characters of type meticulously cast in lead to match the original document.
This recreation was first printed by the Printing Office of Edes and Gill on July 3rd 2012, marking the first time since July 1776 that anyone had printed the Boston Broadside of the Declaration of Independence.
Printed by hand on the Wooden Common Press printed in the Printing office of Edes & Gill located in the Clough House (c 1715) on the grounds of the Old North Church Historic Site in Boston.
The Printing Office is a non-profit 50(c)3 corporation funded entirely by donations, gifts, and the sale of materials printed on their historic press. A portion of the proceeds of this sale will go to them.
Additional resources
- Details in this listing at Christie's about specific printings and the way in which the document was distributed to major cities. As mentioned above, this was in 2009 and it was the first Boston and tenth broadside edition of the Declaration. It sold for $722,500.
- Describing the original printing of this broadside and the reproduction, from the Declaration Resources Project at Harvard.
- The Library of Congress's site on the Declaration, with links to additional resources.
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