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Lithograph. On sheet 68.5x52 cm (27x20½").

The text of the Declaration of Independence written out so as to form a portrait of George Washington, designed and calligraphed by William H. Pratt, lithographed by August Hagenboeck. The lettering is shaded to create a bust length portrait of George Washington after Gilbert Stuart’s “Athenaeum “ portrait. The 36 state seals surrounding the text include those of West Virginia and Nevada, just admitted to the Union, in 1863 and 1864. OCLC lists three examples, at the New York HIstorical Society Library, the University of Virginia, and the American Antiquarian Society.

The rarity of the print is demostrated by the fact until 2012, even Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate, didn’t have a copy. That year they acquired one using funds provided by R. Burrus, A. Small, and A.West, and the Broyhill Family Foundation.