July 22, 2026

Rare Declaration printings are on display at the Museum of the American Revolution

The special exhibition features six rare printings of the Declaration of Independence as the nation marks its 250th anniversary, along with living history demonstrations, printmaking workshops and family-friendly events throughout the summer.

By PhillyVoice Media Events

Provided Courtesy/Museum of the American Revolution

The Museum of the American Revolution is marking the nation's 250th anniversary with rare Declaration printings, living history programs and hands-on activities throughout the summer.

As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on Aug. 2, the Museum of the American Revolution is showcasing six rare printings of the nation's founding document.

The special exhibition, "The Declaration's Journey," includes broadsides printed by John Dunlap and Mary Katharine Goddard. Goddard's January 1777 printing was the first to include the names of the Declaration's signers after most members of the Continental Congress signed the document at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall.

One of just 26 known surviving Dunlap broadsides is on display at the museum. The copy once belonged to Philadelphia merchant Jonas Phillips, who enclosed it in a July 28, 1776, letter to his cousin and business associate in Amsterdam, describing it as "a whole declaration of the new country." A British ship intercepted the package before it reached Europe, leaving both the letter and broadside in Britain for nearly 250 years. They are now back in Philadelphia and on public display for the first time since 1776.

Beyond the exhibition, the museum's summer lineup includes the "Meet the Revolution" living history series, with costumed interpreters exploring the lives of people during the Revolutionary era. Programs focus on Philadelphia's clothing trade July 24-25, upholsterers who produced military supplies Aug. 7-9 and the lives of Asians in 18th-century America on Sept. 5.

Provided Courtesy/Museum of the American Revolution

Young visitor chooses letter molds to print during the Common Press printmaking workshop on July 2.

Visitors also can learn how colonial printing presses spread news of American independence during a hands-on printmaking workshop with Common Press on Aug. 15.

The museum wraps up its summer programming Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5-7, with free admission for children ages 12 and younger. Complimentary children's tickets are available at the museum's front desk.