[In-Person Lecture] The Declaration in Print

Grolier member John Bidwell, a curator emeritus at the Morgan Library & Museum, will give a lecture based on his new book, The Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America’s Founding Document (Penn State Press). He will explore developments in the nineteenth–century printmaking business that popularized and commodified the Declaration of Independence. Americans could buy copiously ornamented facsimile editions of the original manuscript illustrated with portraits, autographs, and patriotic emblems designed to extol and evoke the Founding Fathers. New and improved intaglio, letterpress, and lithographic printing technologies helped produce increasingly elaborate allegorical compositions, some touted as precious relics, others aimed at the bottom of the market. The symbolic structure in these prints could include reproductions of John Trumbull’s painting The Declaration of Independence, views of Independence Hall, and state seals arranged in a “cordon of honor.” As much as one might expect illustrations to defeat the function of a facsimile, this style did not go out of fashion until the twentieth century. Bidwell’s pictorial account of the Declaration will show a growing appreciation of its artistic potential, which peaked during the Centennial and then subsided after one of the first facsimiles was recognized as the one and only reliable reproduction. John Bidwell’s new Declaration book will be for sale and signing at the event.

Registration

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Accessibility

An ADA-compliant lift from street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.

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Environment

The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.

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