NEWS & NOTES
Delving Into the Declaration Rare engraving highlights exhibit
A new exhibit at The David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center and Smith Education Center explores how the Declaration of Independence went from the tip of Thomas Jefferson’s quill to become an icon of democracy throughout the world. Featuring an online scavenger hunt that helps bring the Declaration to life for younger visitors along with an audio and video gallery, the exhibit is highlighted by a rare engraving of the Declaration of Independence. On loan from David Rubenstein, the engraving is one of 40 known copies that remain from those made by William J. Stone in the 1820s. After the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and printed on July 5, the Continental Congress ordered on July 19 that the Declaration be engrossed — meaning that the original document would be copied in large handwriting.
Congress also ordered “that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress,” and, on August 2, president of the Congress John Hancock was the first to add his famous signature. As the years passed, the engrossed version of the Declaration deteriorated and faded. In 1820, then-secretary of state John Quincy Adams commissioned Stone to create an exact facsimile of the engrossed version on copperplate. When completed in 1823, Stone’s version was considered the official copy for government use, and in 1824, Congress ordered the distribution of 200 copies printed on parchment. Copies were sent to all 24 states and to each of the three surviving signers: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Charles Carroll. Other copies were distributed to governors and presidents of colleges and universities.
Bill Barker, aka Thomas Jefferson, visits the Declaration exhibit. Guests can meet Jefferson (as portrayed by Barker) in person at Monticello on most Tuesdays through Saturdays during regularly scheduled hours. A rare original copy of the Stone Declaration of Independence, commissioned to duplicate the artistry of the original engrossed version, which had faded by the 1820s. The exhibit in the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Gallery explores the document that Jefferson called “an expression of the American mind” and was first among the achievements for which he wished to be remembered. Bill Barker’s position at Monticello is made possible by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.
Ian Atkins
4 SPRING / SUMMER 2023
Powered by FlippingBook