Very Fine and Rare Declaration of Independence Brown Copperplate-Printed Cotton Handkerchief, Made by Richard Gillespie (b. 1772) and Colin Gillespie (b. 1774), Glasgow, Scotland, Circa 1820 to 1825

Herbert Ridgeway Collins, Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth 1775 to the Present, (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979), pl. 58.

Seth Kaller notes that "the intricate design of this handkerchief features images of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, beneath an eagle and flags. In the center appears the text of the Declaration of Independence, together with facsimiles of the signatures. An oak wreath with acorns surrounds the text and features images of the seals of the thirteen original states. An image at lower left depicts the Boston Tea Party with the caption, “The Patriotic Bostonians discharging the British Ships in Boston harbour.” An image at lower right depicts “General Burgoyne’s Surrender to General Gates at Saratoga.” Around the edge runs a stars and rope border with anchors at each corner and at the center of each side. The design was printed with red ink using a copper plate and draws much from prints of the Declaration of Independence by William Woodruff, published in February 1819, and John Binns, published in October 1819."

Approximately ten examples are known to survive. They include two in the collection of Winterthur Museum (acc. nos. 1959.0960 and 1959.0961), two in the collection of the Cooper Hewitt (acc. nos. 1954-82-5 and 1995-50-52), one sold at Early American History Auctions, Rancho Santa Fe, California, Autographs-Coins-Currency-Americana, August 30, 2004, lot 515, one offered at Cowan's Auctions, Cincinnati, American History, November 20, 2015, lot 168, one offered at Hake's Auctions, July 10, 2018, lot 1, and one sold by Jeff R. Bridgeman American Antiques.