The main prop in the film National Treasure, was the American icon, The Declaration of Independence. I have replicated this piece of history by using high resolution scans of both the original Declaration and the 1823 engraving made by William J. Stone. By using both scans, I was able to get the clarity of the later engraving while maintaining the faded, aged appearance of the hand-written original.

The remastered image when then printed at full scale (measuring about 28" x 23") on high-quality parchment-textured paper. I aged the entire document using several techniques (the browning of the paper is not printed-on, but all added by hand after printing).

But what about the back?

The back of the real Declaration of Independence is blank, except for the hand-written label added at a later date, to identify the document when rolled:

In National Treasure, several clues were discovered on the back of the Declaration, brought out by different methods. On my version, the back is blank as well, but the same clues can be seen by shining ultraviolet light it. The large cross, filled with Masonic imagery was drawn by hand using a special invisible ink, combining several of the clues seen in the film. In the upper right corner is the Masonic compass and square, followed by the long Ottendorf cipher.


To transport the Declaration during the many adventures, two tubes were used during the film. To the left is a replica of the burgundy-leather tube used in the first half of the film. It is constructed of high-quality leather, professionally stitched with black felt lining and heavy-duty metal hardware.

Later in the film, a black plastic tube was used. This tube can be ordered through Amazon by clicking on the link to the right.