Sotheby’s to offer Rare Printing of the Declaration of Independence: The July 1776 Essex Broadside

Attributed to Robert Luist Fowle of Exeter, this Goodspeed’s-Sang-Streeter copy is one of thirteen contemporary broadsides of the Declaration of Independence issued in 1776. Of these, only 10 examples of the Essex broadside are known to exist, with the majority today being held by prestigious institutional collections.

This Declaration appears at a time of growing appreciation for founding documents among collectors, fueled by their extraordinary rarity and profound historical importance. This Essex Broadside is poised to join the ranks of the most valuable founding documents ever offered at auction. *

The document will be sold alongside Sotheby’s Visions of America presented in partnership with Cadillac, a week-long series of auctions, exhibitions, and immersive experiences which celebrates American artistry and craftsmanship. Comprising over 500 exceptional examples of American art and objects spanning from the 17th century to the present day, the auction series offers both new and established collectors an opportunity to experience a diverse range of outstanding American works. This year, renowned designer and creative director Ken Fulk joins as guest curator, bringing his signature "magic-making" to the week with a carefully selected collection of 18 exceptional works that highlight America's rich cultural legacy.

The Declaration of Independence, finalized on the evening of 4 July 1776 after three days of intense deliberation by the Continental Congress, stands as a defining moment in American history. That night, a manuscript was delivered to John Dunlap, the Congress's official printer, who swiftly prepared it for printing, ensuring its immediate dissemination to the public and the colonies.

Dunlap’s broadside was distributed throughout the thirteen colonies, and these were used as copy texts for other local printers, who produced their own editions, which were themselves often reprinted in to meet the widespread demand for tangible proof of independence.

Of the thirteen known broadside editions printed in 1776, it is believed that only around one hundred copies have survived. Today, the Dunlap first printing constitutes more than a quarter of these existing copies, and most of the 1776 broadside declarations—at least seventy-nine—are housed in public institutions.

This printing was previously held in two legendary Americana collections—The Streeter Collection, assembled by Thomas W. Streeter, considered one of the greatest private collections of Americana ever created, with a focus on early American history, exploration, and settlement, including unique editions that chronicle the expansion and development of the United States (sold at Sotheby’s in 1967), and the Sang Collection, built by Philip and Elsie Sang, prominent Chicago collectors known for their deep interest in American history, particularly the Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence and its Signers (sold at Sotheby’s in 1978).

Main Image: Printing of the Declaration of Independence: The July 1776 Essex Broadside, Courtesy Sotheby's