Reprint of Ulster County Gazette Announcing the Death of George Washington
American, circa 1860-1880
Newsprint laid out in double-sided frame, 20 ¼ x 25 ¾

The Ulster County Gazette was established May 5, 1798, at Kingston, New York, by Samuel Freer & Son. Publication continued until 1803, when the title was changed to the Ulster Gazette. Soon after George Washington died on December 14, 1799, residents of Ulster County, New York were provided a detailed account of his death and the many events eulogizing him in the January 4, 1800 edition.

Reproductions are well-known through the great number of reprints that are scattered over every part of the country. There are more than seventy such reproductions, often differing from each other in only minor details. Only two original copies are in existence. Reproduction of the January 4, 1800 issue began during the first half of the nineteenth century, perhaps as early as 1825. These early reprints were made in smaller numbers, and, regarding the paper and type used, represent a somewhat more careful imitation of a newspaper printed in 1800 than do those of later years.

The Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia saw the beginning of the wholesale output of the reprints. At least one printing firm had a regular contract for supplying them, and they were sold on the Exposition grounds as historical souvenirs. In 1877, a centennial celebration at Kingston, New York, offered a similar opportunity. Since then, various enterprising individuals have continued to flood the market with inexpensive reproductions.

$425