[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

If you are a Grolier Club member, please register yourself and your guests via the Club website. Do not register via Eventbrite.

Support

We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For over 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings, and would like to support that tradition, and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.

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.

A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting in order to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.

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.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York, United States