Like pilgrims flocking to a holy site, more than a million
people each year visit the Rotunda of the National Archives to
see the Declaration of Independence. Some are startled by its
worn appearance, so unlike the pristine copies hanging in
elementary schools across the country. When Americans think of
the Declaration, they often have in mind a much more legible
copy called the Stone Engraving made in 1823 and used as the
model for countless classroom posters. But Mary Lynn
Ritzenthaler and Kitty Nicholson know differently. These
National Archives conservators have examined every letter and
smudge and crease of the original, documenting the effects of
two centuries of loving but imperfect handling. In this
interactive, pore over
the faded original yourself, compare it to the Stone
Engraving, and read the conservators' notes detailing some of
the damage done.—Susan K. Lewis
