Asher Lockner, 14, of Brooklyn, N.Y., takes a photo of the Declaration of Independence on July 16.
Karen Tumulty
Every year, a million people wander through the temple-like rotunda of the National Archives and peer through a thick glass case to glimpse the document upon which the United States of America was founded.
They are struck by awe - and also by the toll that time and negligence have taken on the Declaration of Independence.
The ink, including John Hancock’s defiantly oversized signature, has faded to near invisibility. It is further disfigured by creases, water stains, and a grimy handprint covering part of its lower corner.
