This item consists of one of the earliest known decorative reproductions of the original engrossed Declaration of Independence. Numerous ceremonial copies of the Declaration of Independence were created in the aftermath of nationalism following the War of 1812. At that time, most signers had either passed away or were quite elderly, and interest in the Declaration was resurfacing.
In 1818, engraver Benjamin Tyler (a publisher and professor of penmanship in the city of Washington, DC) published his ceremonial engraving. He dedicated it to the Declaration’s principal author, Thomas Jefferson, and included an attestation by the acting Secretary of State Richard Rush, son of signer Benjamin Rush, that it was a correct copy.
The National Park Service estimates that Tyler produced 1,700 copies. The National Archives has one copy of the Tyler Engraving.
