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Framed "Declaration of Independence" Boston Broadside from the Printing Office of Edes & Gill in Boston

Framed "Declaration of Independence" Boston Broadside from the Printing Office of Edes & Gill in Boston

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Regular price $ 129.95
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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.)

Also available unframed.

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.

 

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.

Flat-rate shipping: Regardless of the number of items you order, the shipping price for shirts, caps, unframed prints and posters, bracelets, lapel pins, pendants, and button packs is $5.95.

For hooded and crewneck sweatshirts, mugs, and blankets, the shipping cost is $8.95. 

Our flat rate shipping means you can add two or more t-shirts, sweatshirts, or caps for no additional shipping charge.

Learn more about shipping here.

All designs are copyrighted by The History List and the History Nerd text and design on t-shirts is a registered trademark. If you see a knock off, please let me know.

Nearly everything we offer is designed by us and made in America.

Our original designs are based on our nation’s history and our love of American history. Read more about other things we've created, including The History List, History Camp, and The Pursuit of History, in addition to The History List Store.

All original designs are copyrighted by The History List.

Every product that is made in America states that in the product description and includes the "Made in U.S.A." graphic. There are a relatively small number of items where we’ve not been able to find a manufacturing partner here in the States, but we continue to look.  

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Diane B.
Declaration of Independence framed

Bought this for a gift to a friend and she loved it! I put this on my wish list to my family with website link but it was not under the tree for me. Soooo I’m ordering it for myself and appreciate your offer of $5.00 off!

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Norm W.
Declaration - Edes & Gill

Everything was great! The document was perfect and looks terrific in the frame! Thanks so much!