William J. Stone

William James and his brother Henry Stone, were pioneer engravers, lithographers, printers & publishers in Washington, D.C. In "America on Stone" by Harry T. Peters, he calls the Stones "One of the earliest and most elusive of all lithographers." It is recorded that they worked in the city from 1822 until 1849. It is known that they did work for the government as well as for private and commercial interest. Their most famous, or perhaps infamous, production is that of the Declaration of Independence. They reproduced it via a wet transfer process that damaged the original document. It’s possible that this map was engraved as part of some obscure secret U.S. government report that showed the map that the two British surveyors produced and would be used during the forthcoming negotiations.