Ever since President Trump unveiled a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office last March, speculation has abounded about its provenance, with the White House offering only that "The National Archives delivered the Declaration of Independence to the White House at the President’s request" and that "It's never been up. It's been in the vaults for many, many decades." What exactly could this mysterious copy direct from "the vaults" of NARA be?
Those that know the history of Declaration facsimiles instantly recognize it as one of the Peter Force rice paper printings of the famous 1823 William J. Stone copperplate engraving, which have become the definitive version we know today. (You can actually see the original copperplate on display at NARA). Given that it is on display in the Oval Office on loan from NARA, how can we discount that it might instead be one of the original vellum printings that predated Force's copy? If it was one of the original printings, it would carry an imprint at the top right of "ENGRAVED by WILLIAM I. STONE, for the Dept. of State, by order of J. Q. ADAMS, Sec. of State, July 4, 1823." In contrast, the presence of the "W. J. STONE SC. WASHN" imprint at the bottom left directly under the left-most signature block definitively and conclusively identifies it as a Peter Force Stone print. It is unclear why NARA did not take the opportunity of its unveiling to talk more about the history of Declaration facsimiles, but the Stone imprint definitively identifies it as a Peter Force copy. This particular copy lacks the creases typically present in Force/Stone printings from their folded inclusion in American Archives, meaning it could be one of the unfolded copies that were never bound. Alternatively, the copy's lighter-than-usual coloration suggests the possibility that it may have undergone conservation that would include removing the creases.
Let's say that you don't know anything about Declarations and wanted to know where this copy came from – could Gemini 3 Pro help? We located a series of high resolution photographs of the copy in the White House Photo Gallery from a previous event and provided Gemini with a zoomed and cropped image of the document. We'll also assume that the user has spent some time manually examining the image and has noticed the text in the lower left but can't make out what it says or whether it might be important, yielding the following prompt:
This is a copy of the Declaration of Independence. I want to know which specific version it is. I know it is an exact replica, but I want to know WHICH VERSION IT IS. Look VERY CAREFULLY for any engravers marks or other artifacts or evidence that are found ONLY IN ONE SPECIFIC VERSION that would definitively tell which version it is. Cite your evidence in detail. What is that text in the lower left, could that be something important that tells which version it is?
Indeed, Gemini correctly identifies it as the Peter Force printing of the Stone!
Based on the visual evidence and your specific observation of the text in the lower left corner, this document is the Peter Force engraving of the Declaration of Independence, printed in 1848.
It is widely known as the "Force Print" or "Force Copy."
Here is the detailed evidence identifying this specific version:
1. The "Smoking Gun": The Text in the Lower Left
You correctly identified the most critical clue. If you look closely at the lower left corner, specifically beneath the signatures of the Georgia delegation (Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and Geo. Walton), there is a very small, faint engraver's mark.
That text reads:
"W. J. STONE SC. WASHn"
-
- Translation: "William J. Stone, Sculpsit [Latin for 'engraved it'], Washington."
- Why this definitively identifies the version: This specific mark in this specific location is unique to the Peter Force edition.
2. The History of the Plate (Stone vs. Force)
To understand why this mark proves it is the 1848 version, you must compare it to the original 1823 plate from which it was made.
-
- The 1823 "Stone" Copy: In 1823, William J. Stone was commissioned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams to create an exact facsimile of the original Declaration (which was already fading). When Stone printed the famous 200 copies on vellum in 1823, his engraver's imprint was located at the very top left margin ("ENGRAVED by W.I. STONE for the Dept. of State of U.S.").
- The 1848 "Force" Copy: Decades later, historian Peter Force wanted to include the Declaration in his book series, American Archives. He received permission to use Stone's original copperplate. However, the original engraving at the top was removed (burnished out). To credit the engraver, a new, much smaller signature—"W. J. STONE SC. WASHn"—was etched into the bottom left corner, tucked under the signatures.
3. Visual Characteristics
-
- Exact Replica of Handwriting: Like the 1823 Stone copy, the Force print captures the exact penmanship of the original "engrossed" document (the Matlack handwriting), rather than using a standard typeset font (like the 1818 Tyler copy).
- Paper Type: While difficult to tell through a photo, original Force prints were made on thin, rice-paper-like sheets to fit inside a book. Because they were folded into books, genuine Force prints often show crease marks (though many have been flattened and framed, like yours).
Summary
Because the engraver's mark is located under the signatures in the lower left rather than across the top margin, this is definitively the 1848 Peter Force engraving, printed from the altered 1823 William J. Stone copperplate.