John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" Stevengraph woven at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 — Framed

Woven silk showing "The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, July 4th, 1776," after the famous original painting by John Trumbull depicting the moment on June 28, 1776, when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Continental Congress.

This is printed on the mat:

"Woven in pure silk at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893, by the Stevengraph Works, Coventry, England"

Ribbon size: 2.5" x 7.25"

Frame size: 7.5" x 12"

Shipping: $30. Please allow two weeks for shipping.

Historical background on Stevengraphs

Stevengraphs are finely detailed silk pictures that are woven, not embroidered, giving them their remarkable clarity and durability. Made possible by the Jacquard attachment developed from the work of Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752–1834).

The process began with an artist’s design enlarged onto graph paper, where each square represented a specific color. A skilled puncher then translated the design into thousands of punched cards, which were linked into a continuous chain and mounted on the loom. As each card passed through, it directed the raising and lowering of warp threads while the weft threads were woven across, building the image in silk using a simple hole-or-no-hole logic.

Thomas Stevens refined the method and introduced richer color weaving, sometimes using as many as ten shades, far beyond earlier textile pictures. The woven ribbon was then cut and finished as mounted pictures, bookmarks, or novelties.

To learn more, see Joseph Marie Jacquard – His loom and Thomas Stevens – How Stevengraphs Were Made