The Declaration of Independence -- Stone Facsimile

The Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence is much more readable today than the original engrossed version.

National Archives and Records Administration

By the 1820s, the engrossed version of the Declaration was becoming fragile and faded. But, what to do about that precious document? The government responded by commissioning an official copy. The Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence from the 1820s is the one most people are familiar with today.

History of the Stone Engraving

Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned William J. Stone, a Washington engraver, to produce an official facsimile on copperplate of the Declaration text and signatures for the United States government.

The Stone Declaration of Independence captured much of the original document’s artistry before it deteriorated to its present condition. Before photography, documents like the Declaration of Independence could be reproduced in only a few ways: by hand tracing, using a mechanical device like a pantograph, or wetting an original document and lifting a small amount of ink from it. Nothing is known about the process used by William J. Stone.

It took Stone three years to complete the engraving.

Distribution of the Stone Facsimile

On May 26, 1824, the United States Congress ordered the distribution of two hundred copies of the Stone facsimile, printed on parchment. These printed copies were distributed to:

• the three surviving signers of the Declaration of Independence - Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton - who each received two copies
• President James Monroe, Vice-President Daniel D. Thompkins, former President James Madison and the Marquis de Lafayette who also received two copies each
• the Senate and House of Representatives which split twenty copies
• various departments of the government who received twelve copies apiece
• the President's House
• the Supreme Court chamber

The remaining copies were sent to the governors and legislatures of the states and territories, and to universities and colleges in the United States.

Where are Those Two Hundred Copies Now?

Of the original two hundred prints on parchment, 31 have been located. Twenty-three of these are in public institutions:

• American Philosophical Society
• Boston Public Library
• Carroll Foundation
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library
• Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village
• Harvard University, Houghton Library
• Indiana University, Lilly Library
• Jefferson County Court House, Kentucky
• Library of Congress [2 copies]
• Maryland Historical Society
• Massachusetts Historical Society, Adams Papers [2 copies]
• New Hampshire Archives [2 copies]
• New Haven Historical Society
• New York Public Library
• Rhode Island State Archives
• Tennessee State Archives
• Smithsonian Institution; note: in 1888, Stone's elderly widow (Elizabeth J. Stone), donated his personal impression on parchment to the Smithsonian Institution
• Sweet Briar College
• Virginia State Library Archives
• The White House

The Stone Engraving vs. The Original Engrossed Copy

• They are close in size (24” by 30”).
• Both are on parchment, a specially prepared animal skin that is thicker than paper.
• The Stone engraving includes a line at the top indicating it was printed at the order of Adams: "Engraved by W.I. STONE for the Dept. of State by order/ of J.Q. ADAMS Secy of State July 4th, 1823."

Later Printings of the Stone Facsimile

• They do not have the imprint line from the top of the document. However, they do have new imprint at the bottom left, below the first column of signatures: "W.J. STONE SC. WASHN."
• They are printed on paper rather than parchment but are still the same size.

For Further Reading
The Stone Engraving: Icon of the Declaration | National Archives
Declaration of Independence [W.J. Stone facsimile on vellum] | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Stone Declaration | Thomas Jefferson's Monticello