Name/Title
Decorative historical broadside print of the United States Declaration of IndependenceEntry/Object ID
100356Scope and Content
(AI) This image features a decorative, historical broadside print of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Key Elements of the Print
1. Top Banner & Eagle
Motto: Prominently displays an American bald eagle holding a ribbon with the national motto: "E PLURIBUS UNUM".
Presidents Gallery: Across the top border are circular medallion portraits of early U.S. Presidents (including Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams).
2. Central Artwork
An engraving depicting the famous scene of the Committee of Five presenting the drafted Declaration of Independence to John Hancock and the Continental Congress in 1776 (after the iconic painting by John Trumbull).
3. Main Document Text
Title:
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776.
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America.
Body: The full text of the Declaration of Independence printed in dense, clear typography.
4. Signatures & Key Layout (Bottom Section)
Numbered List of Signers: The 56 signers of the Declaration are listed by number at the bottom in multiple columns (e.g., George Wythe, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, etc.).
Seating Chart / Key: Below the list of names is a numbered diagram corresponding to the figures depicted in the central Congress scene above.
5. Decorative Border & State Seals
The elaborate outer border features circular medallions showing the seals and coats of arms of the original thirteen states, woven into ornate floral scrollwork.
6. Copyright / Publication Line
Text at the bottom edge:
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1826, by the Franklin Print Co., in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.