Declaration of Independence print with the seals of the 13 original states, and vignettes of diverse Presidents.

The Declaration of Independence, the seals of the 13 original states, and vignettes of Presidents Washington, Adams, and Jefferson appear on this commemorative print. There are also images of the Boston Tea Party, the surrender of General Gates at Saratoga, and an American eagle carrying a flag.

The print was made for the fiftieth anniversary of the "Declaration of Independence" in 1826. Around the same time, the nation had learned of the death of two of the Declaration's principal authors, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, on July 4th of that year (1826), thus adding to the significance of this item.

The "Declaration of Independence" was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, and was first read to the public two days later on July 4th, which is now celebrated as America's Independence Day. The despised British Union Jack, the flag which had represented the United Colonies, was replaced on June 14, 1777 by the passage of the "Flag Resolution". The new nation flew a blue canton flag bearing the 13 stars of the United States, and was the result of a political decision made nearly a year earlier.

A similar example of the same print (except that it is in blue and white) is found in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum and Threads of History by Collins on p. 72. Similar prints are located in the New-York Historical Society in New York City.

Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p.11

Provenance:
• Made in 1824-1828.
• Acquired by Charles H. Aston, San Francisco, CA, until 1914.
• Gifted to de Young Museum, 1914.
• Sold via Butterfield & Butterfield Auctions, SF, CA, to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 1997

ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

Sources:



Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.

History of the de Young Museum, de Young, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 15 November 2011: http://deyoung.famsf.org/about/history-de-young-museum

Collins, Herbert Ridgeway, Threads of History, City of Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979.