Lot 304: "Declaration of Independence", Engraving PROOF. Superb original proof of engraving by W.L. Ormsby

"Declaration of Independence", Engraving PROOF. Superb original proof of engraving by W.L. Ormsby after [Asher] Durand of the painting by John Trumbull titled "Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776, approx. 30 1/2" X 22". Waterman Lilly Ormsby (1809-1883) was one of the finest engravers of the early 19th Century. His engraving of this famous image hangs in the White House. The painting features the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence-John Adams, Robert Sherman, Thomas Jefferson (presenting the document), and Benjamin Franklin-standing before John Hancock, the President of the Continental Congress. It includes portraits of 42 of the 56 signers and five other patriots. The artist sketched the individuals and the room from life. Each is identified in white border beneath the image on either side of miniature drawing of the patriots immortalized in this portrait engraving.