By Cynthia Romero
In her small Union Square studio, artist Mindy Belloff has thousands of metal type letters, all organized carefully in special drawers. Belloff, owner of Intima Press and an experienced typesetter and bookbinder, used the letters in a special project, where she reproduced the original Declaration of Independence printed by Mary Katherine Goddard.
“I was really inspired by the work of Mary K. Goddard and what she was able to accomplish in her lifetime,” said Belloff. “I was taken aback by all the history surrounding the document, and I thought it would be really interesting to go ahead and reproduce it.”
Belloff’s love for words is evident in all corners of her studio, from her vintage handpress that dates back to 1888 to the special paper she handpicked for the letterpress printing of the documents.
“I opted for handset type, which is where you take each of the letters and set them one at a time to print a page or document,” said Belloff. “It’s the real deal, the way they did it in the 15th century.”
The painstaking process of setting all 7,500 characters in Caslon typeface in the two-column design took Belloff one week. Having already printed 100 copies of the original document, Belloff is now ready to print a different version.
“I chose to print a more contemporary version of the Declaration of Independence which includes the line, ‘All people are created equal,’ instead of ‘All men are created equal,’” she said. “I actually decided to start printing that version on July 4th, because I wanted it to be symbolic.”
The entire project took a whole year, starting from the research to the reproduction. Belloff went to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to gain access to the Declaration of Independence, to feel the document and take the proper measurements.
Belloff said she often wonders what Mary Katherine Goddard felt when she printed the original version of the Declaration of Independence.
“I still get chills, because as a woman, I wonder what she was thinking as she laid down each letter and what she felt when she came to that line,” she said. “I’m hoping that some museums or universities might feel compelled to own a copy of this version.”
Both versions of Belloff’s prints are available for purchase. The reproduction of Goddard’s print, which includes a portfolio and a page of essays, is available for $500, while the second version is available for the prepublication price of $300. For more information, visit www.intimapress.com or call 917-412-4134.
