Rare 1776 Declaration of Independence to go on display
The National Archives, UK.
From 16 June - 6 September, a rare signed and annotated 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence will go on display at American Museum & Gardens as part of the Museum’s America 250 programme.
The Declaration is one of only 26 surviving Dunlap copies in the world and is the only known example to have been intercepted by British forces during the American Revolution before later being annotated by British government officials.
Printed by John Dunlap on the night of 4 July 1776, the document was captured and sent back to Britain just weeks later by Vice Admiral Richard Howe and General William Howe, who were serving both as military commanders and as King George III’s peace commissioners in North America.
When the Declaration arrived in Britain, officials in the Colonial Secretary’s office added annotations to the reverse of the document as part of the government’s wartime correspondence system. The annotations identify the document as “The Declaration of Independency 1776” and record the packet of correspondence in which it travelled.
The document survives both as one of America’s founding texts and as a rare piece of wartime intelligence, offering insight into how news of the colonies’ declaration of independence was received and processed by the British government.
The Declaration is on loan from The National Archives and is displayed alongside a specially commissioned film from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.
The display forms part of America 250, a season of exhibitions, talks, performances and cultural events celebrating the arts, culture and creative expression of America and its people.
Lucy Littlewood, Director of the American Museum & Gardens, said:
“We share the story of America through its decorative arts, design and creativity. Having the Declaration here is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this rare and foundational document. The Declaration’s focus on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - and the rights it sets out - has formed the foundation for the creative expression that has flourished and grown in America over the past 250 years.”
Graham Moore, Curator of Revolution 250 at The National Archives, said:
“We are delighted to loan this original copy of the US Declaration of Independence to the American Museum & Gardens. The National Archives holds the largest single collection of original Dunlap broadsides in the world – they help us tell the story of the American Revolution, which is a British story, as well as an American one.”
The America 250 programme runs throughout 2026 and includes exhibitions, family activities, music performances, lectures and gallery trails across the Museum and gardens.
The loan of the Declaration and the exhibition was made possible with support from Art Fund and their Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Travel Grant.