An original Broadside Proclamation by President John Adams on the death of George Washington.

We are pleased to present this original Broadside Proclamation by President John Adams on the death of George Washington for your consideration. This is an original document, and is the only copy that has been offered for sale during the last century. We believe the total population of this Broadside is seven or fewer copies, with the remaining examples being held by museums and other institutions.

This Broadside was acquired by Laurence and Sally Martin, owners of Studio Antiques, during their participation in the Travel Channel reality TV show Baggage Battles. During their season 2 episode "Blast from the Past", they attended an auction of Americana at White's Auctions and won the Broadside, making them one of the few known owners of this piece (we believe they are the third in the last century). The Broadside was authenticated during the episode at Edes & Gill in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Broadside has been mounted (at some earlier date) to a piece of heavy stock, to repair splitting at the center. It measures 16-15/16 inches high by 11-15/16 inches wide (with some small variance), and weighs 5 ounces. The paper shows expected darkening from age, and there are some darker age stains at upper left and bottom center. Despite these condition issues, the document presents well and is easy to read.

This is a unique piece of Americana. It is one of only a few surviving copies of President John Adam's declaration of a day of mourning for the death of the first President, George Washington. With your purchase, you will become part of the history of this document, and owner of a very significant piece of American history