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
