Late in the evening on July 4, 1776, after the Continental Congress had approved the text detailing the colonies’ official breakup with the British empire, a handwritten manuscript was delivered to the printing shop of John Dunlap with a desperate deadline: 200 copies printed by morning.
Two-hundred-and-fifty years later, a Brigham Young University adjunct professor locked himself in his garage for four months to recapture that exact midnight frenzy.
For Robert Buchert, a professional artist whose work centers on paper and printing, his copy of the Declaration of Independence is more than just words on a page — it is what he calls the most accurate copy of the founding document ever made.
“This is not my typical project,” Buchert told the Deseret News.
The idea sparked in Buchert’s mind when a friend told him that a colonial reenactment group was running out of authentic, 18th-century paper. Buchert’s ears perked up. He had recently been studying the era’s paper-making techniques and knew he had the tools to help. He owns a specialized printing and paper-making business that he operates right out of his garage.
As his research deepened, Buchert learned of the nation’s very first official publication: the Dunlap Broadside. The discovery pulled him down a historical rabbit hole, learning everything he could about the original printing of the Declaration of Independence. Using a high-resolution scan from the Library of Congress, Buchert studied everything from the original watermarks and paper measurements to the exact spacing of the original type.
“Why don’t I just take a stab at doing the whole thing?” Buchert recalled asking himself.
While Buchert knew he wasn’t the first to print the founding document — a quick search on Etsy shows dozens of replicas for sale — he possessed the unique tools and craftsmanship to make his version as historically accurate as possible, placing it in a category of its own.
“When I look at that document, as someone who’s spent 33 years printing and designing as an artist, I get excited because I can see the excitement,” Buchert said. “I can see what was going on in that room at the time. You don’t leave things in this state unless you’re excited and something has to happen. It says that, and that’s neat.”
Recreating that energy on paper was a grueling ordeal. Buchert dedicated four months to the project, averaging 14-hour work days to perfect it. In total, he estimates the project has taken him well over 1,000 hours and counting as he continues to print more.
“I need to make up for all the four months of disappearance from family life,” Buchert joked.
How Buchert replicated the founding document
Everything about Buchert’s document is as historically faithful as possible, starting from scratch with the paper.
To create it, Buchert takes the raw plant fiber — most likely flax, hemp or cotton from the time period — and runs it through a machine called a bedplate which beats and bruises the fibers, allowing them to bond. The fibers are then transferred into a vat of water. Buchert dips a handmade screen, custom-woven to incorporate the original watermarks, into the mixture to pull out an even layer of the plant fiber. After the water drains, the fibers are stacked onto wool felts, where 40 to 50 layers are pressed together to squeeze out the remaining moisture before the sheets are hung to dry.
That process alone takes about four days. Buchert can make 150 to 200 sheets a day by himself, not including prep work and finishing. When working with friends, they can make 850 sheets in a day, though that still requires nearly a week of preparation and finishing time.
“It’s just a big process,” Buchert said. “This is why I feel confident in saying this is the most accurate remaking of the Declaration of Independence that’s ever been done. There have been some really lovely ones, and you can find beautiful copies on Etsy, but they’re reinterpretations. This is a re-doing.”
Through his efforts, Buchert says he gained an appreciation for the dignity of the document and the clear, orderly way the founders structured their grievances.
“There’s no other country in the world that started this way with this list of legitimate complaints,” Buchert said. “They went about it formally and carefully. Growing up in Canada, they didn’t have any problems like this. When they got independence, it was just like, ‘OK. Here we are.’ This was a beautiful moment in time that is just fantastic, and we have this record of it. Sometimes, it’s called the birth certificate of the nation. I think that’s a great thing.”
Buchert’s favorite part of the project was finally running the first finished sheet through his printing press. However, building up the courage to actually do it took almost an entire day.
“I had mixed the ink in a particular way that I thought would be representative of 18th-century printing, and I said, ‘OK, I’m going to put one through the press.’” Buchert recalled.
The first attempt was unsuccessful because the press wasn’t set right, leaving the page nearly blank. After adjusting the machine and testing it again, Buchert finally ran the first real sheet through the press.
“I took it out and I looked at it, it was just like, ‘This is beautiful. It just works. I can’t believe it,’” Buchert said. “I don’t remember if I cried — I don’t think I cried — but it was such a lovely moment to say that it worked, and if nobody buys it, if nobody else likes it, I’m looking at it and I’m saying, ‘I love this. It works for me. It works as a historical document, and it also works just as a piece of art.’”
Ultimately, Buchert hopes his prints inspire people to pause and reflect on the foundation of the country.
“I hope they connect with the real thing,” Buchert said. “My hands are all over this. This could only be handmade.”
“It’s an experiment that’s been amazing. I hope people, particularly in this year, review it and say, ‘What am I? I’m an American. What does that mean? Let’s go back to the beginning,’” Buchert continued.
Buchert’s reproduction of the Declaration of Independence is currently available for a patriotic $76 on his site declaration.250.shop. After July 5, the price will increase to $150.