1893 Stevengraph Woven Silk View of the Declaration of Independence Signing

This is an 1893 Stevengraph Works woven silk view of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The view depicts the Continental Congress in Philadelphia signing the Declaration of Independence, with Thomas Jefferson standing in the foreground in a black coat flanked by other members of the Congress. There is some confusion over which painting acts as the view's inspiration, but most believe it to be John Trumbull's monumental painting, which currently hangs in the rotunda of the United States Capitol Building. The silk itself measures 2.5 x 7.25 inches. It is mounted on its original board, which bears the inscription 'Woven in pure silk at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893, by the Stevengraph Works, Coventry, England.

Stevengraphs

Stevengraphs were invented by Thomas Stevens (1828 - October 24, 1888) after the ribbon weaving industry in Coventry, England collapsed following the signing of the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty. Stevens used his experience and expertise with the Jacquard loom to weave colorful pictures in silk. He had four designs in production by 1862 and over 900 by the late 1880s. They were sold as bookmarks, greeting cards, and, eventually, framed pieces of art. Stevengraphs fell out of fashion in the early 20th century, but experienced a brief resurgence during the 1930s Victoriana trend. The Stevengraph factory was destroyed by Nazi bombers during the Coventry Blitz of November 14, 1940. It was believed all of Stevens' records were also lost at that time. However, in the late 1950s, Henry Stephens, one of Thomas Stevens's descendants, revealed that he had saved one of the company's pattern books the night before the factory's destruction. Today that pattern book is part of the collection at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.

The Columbian Exposition

The 1893 Columbian Exposition or Chicago World's Fair was a pivotal moment in the history of the United States. Chicago won the right to host the World's Fair over New York, Washington D.C., and St. Louis. During its six-month run, nearly 27,000,000 people, roughly half the population of the United States at that time, attended the fair. Its numerous displays and exhibits established conventions for architecture, design, and decorative arts, in addition to initiating a new era of American industrial optimism. The layout and design of the fair was the work of Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted, the genius behind New York City's Central Park and Brooklyn's Prospect Park, among others. Most of the fair was designed in the Beaux Arts tradition, a popular movement in Paris that was quickly gaining global momentum. In the years following the fair, this influential architectural style redefined the cityscape of Chicago, Boston, New York, and many other prominent American cities.

Publication History and Census

This view was created by the Stevengraph Works at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It is accompanied by its original board, which measures 9 x 6 inches, as well as its original frame, which measures 11.25 x 14.25 inches. This view is scarce on the market and is not cataloged in OCLC.