The Declaration of Independence -- John Binns

Note the images of Washington, Jefferson, and Hancock on this version of the Declaration of Independence designed in 1816.

Library of Congress

To appeal to growing American patriotic sentiments, John Binns began work on “a splendid and correct copy of the Declaration of Independence, with fac-similes of all the signatures, the whole to be encircled with the arms of the thirteen States and of the United States” in June of 1816. Binns employed as many as five artists to assist with the design, most notably Thomas Sully. The state seals surrounding the text are a symbolic representation of national unity. James Porter printed the 1819 Binns Declaration in Philadelphia.

The Extant (Existing) Documents

There are an estimated one hundred copies.