Rare broadside of the Declaration of Independence, 18.25 x 22.75, printed on heavy woven paper, with “Engraved by E. Huntington,” below the cast of signers. Removably encapsulated in acid-free mylar. In very good condition, the handsome broadside has been professionally restored and backed, including treatment of tears, areas of minor paper loss, and creases, some of which affect the printed signatures at the bottom. In the early 1820s, Hartford engraver and penmanship author Eleazar Huntington followed the example set by Benjamin Owen Tyler by creating a calligraphic facsimile of the Declaration of Independence. To make it more true to the original, Huntington removed the ornamentation and illustration, and also reduced its size; these simple changes made his broadside more affordable and therefore more accessible to the general public. This extremely scarce print represents the first time that the words proclaiming the nation's independence were made widely available to all Americans.
