The Declaration of Independence: Rare Americana from the Collection

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Morgan Library & Museum presents a select group of important materials relating to the history of the founding of the nation in the rotunda of the historic library. Placed in conversation with each other, this installation of six works provides a snapshot of an incredibly robust area of the Morgan’s collection that speaks to the vitality of the country in its nascence.

The centerpiece of the installation is a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence. Known as the “Dunlap broadside,” this artifact of the nation’s founding was typeset by John Dunlap on the night of July 4, 1776 for distribution to “the several Assemblies, Conventions & Committees or Councils of Safety and to the several Commanding Officers of the Continental troops.” Among the rarest of the rare in this category, it is one of only twenty-six recorded copies surviving today. As a foundational document it is put in context with other important works from the period. Thomas Paine’s radical polemic Common Sense, published earlier that year, gave the nation’s founders a solid rationale for a break from monarchical rule based on the principles of reason.

The installation also features two correspondences from key figures of the Revolutionary period: a June 29, 1776 letter from Patrick Henry expresses his humility and concern upon becoming Virginia’s governor amid the struggle against British rule, while an August 28, 1776 letter from Martha Washington to her sister describes troop movements through Philadelphia, offering insight into the home front. Also included is a life mask of George Washington, created in 1785 by French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon.