A 19th century engraving of the "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.
Engraved by W.L. Ormsby after Asher Durand. This is the engraving you want. And ours is in very good condition and it is a Proof, as indicated in the lower right.
It includes a small key in the bottom border identifying each member of Congress pictured.
Three notes on condition:
- There is a pin hole that is only noticeable when pointed out. It is in the upper right, and I've included a close up. No one will see it, only you, since I've pointed it out.
- The glass is original and old and has character.
- The frame is also old and in tough shape—or, it's perfect, depending on how you look it.
— Lee Wright | Founder
Image size: 23" x 31"
Frame size: 28"x 38"
Shipping: $100. Please allow two weeks for shipping.
Historical background
John Trumbull's masterpiece, The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, July 4th, 1776, was begun at Jefferson's residence in Paris. It was the beginning of a very long process, ultimately taking him 33 years.
According to Trumbull, "I began the composition of the Declaration of Independence, with the assistance of his [Jefferson's] information and advice." Jefferson contributed a firsthand description of the Assembly Room and made a rough sketch of it. Later, Trumbull painted Jefferson from life for the Declaration and made three miniatures of the likeness. The committee responsible for the draft — John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin — was depicted to the right of center.
Trumbull dedicated himself to portraying from life as many of the forty-eight signers as he could. Consequently, the original painting, located in the Yale University Art Gallery, was not completed until 1820. The young artist Asher B. Durand was selected to make the engraving, which was published in 1823. The small number of subscribers greatly disappointed Trumbull.
Source: Monticello
Asher Durand engraved Declaration of Independence for John Trumbull during 1823, which established Durand's reputation as one of the country's finest engravers. The project took three years and he was paid $3,000. (Source: Wikipedia.)
"Waterman Lilly Ormsby was born Hampton, Connecticut in 1809. He attended the National Academy of Design in New York, and after graduating moved to Albaby, New York. After working in Lancaster, Massachusetts for a time, he eventually settled in New York and founded the New York Bank Note Company. Ormsby provided illustrations for The Columbian Magazine, which was the publication in which Edgar Allen Poe was published. Ormsby was also an inventor, his most famous invention being the grammagraph, which was used in pantographic engraving and allowed for the automation of varying spaces between lines to give depth to an image that was engraved. One famous product that that Ormsby used this on was on Colt revolvers starting in 1839. Ormsby died in Brooklyn, New York in 1883."
Source: Mount Vernon
There's more on Ormsby here (Wikipedia).
