Declaration of Independence — William Woodruff (after) | An early broadside Declaration printed on silk in Lyons

Declaration of Independence — William Woodruff (after)

In Congress, July 4, 1776. Lyons: H. Brunet et Cie., 1825–1835

Lithographed broadside printed on silk (680 x 490 mm, to sight). Ornamental title, facsimile handwritten text, surrounded by a decorative border of oak leaves and circular portraits of Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, with vignettes corresponding to the states, the whole design surmounted by an eagle clutching arrows and olive branch, the design after William Woodruff’s 1819 broadside; minor rippling, small abrasion to the left of the eagle, a few losses and tears along the edges not affecting the printing, several very minor light grayish stains near the top, and pale dampstaining at the bottom. Framed; not examined out of frame. 

A French broadside of the Declaration of Independence printed on silk, with an intriguing and dramatic design history. 

The present work is an early lithographed broadside of the Declaration, “rare in comparison to other engraved Declarations of this period,” printed on silk. This French edition was made for the American market, and although it is in the style of Woodruff, John Bidwell categorizes this print as a “pirating” of the unfinished original by Binns. Woodruff purportedly lifted his design from a journeyman and was then unsuccessfully taken to court over the accusation. Woodruff “replicated the original layout and retained all its most important parts: the border of state seals, the medallion portraits, and the headpiece composed of cornucopias, flags, and the arms of the United States.” Accordingly, Bidwell and other scholars recognize two French versions of the Woodruff-style engraving. One version was produced by the lithographer Decomberousse, and the other—present here—is known to have three variants (Bidwell). Brunet’s signature is visible on the central lower medallion, to the right side of the oak leaves reading "Lith di H. Brunet Cie. a Lyon.” 

Five copies have appeared in recent years, and a similar copy forms a part of the collection of the New York Historical Society. 

REFERENCES 

Bidwell, The Declaration in Script and Print (2025), 17