The engrossed Declaration of Independence, central to America250, is written on parchment.
The final handwritten copy signed by the delegates was produced on parchment, a durable writing material traditionally made from prepared animal skin. The National Archives preserves this engrossed document in Washington, D.C., where it is displayed with other foundational records of the United States.
Parchment is often confused with paper because both can appear as pale, flexible writing surfaces. Paper was widely used in the eighteenth century, but parchment was valued for important legal and governmental documents because it could endure for centuries when carefully preserved.
The Declaration’s well-known text was first drafted and revised before being copied onto the engrossed parchment. The copy is not the same object as the earlier draft documents or printed broadsides that circulated in 1776. Its famous signatures were added to the final manuscript over time.