 Longacre became apprenticed to George Murray , principal in the engraving firm Murray , Draper , Fairman & Co. at 47 Sansom Street in Philadelphia . This business derived from the firm established by the Philadelphia Mint 's first chief engraver , Robert Scot . Longacre remained at the Murray firm until 1819 ; his major work there was portraits of George Washington , Thomas Jefferson , and John Hancock which were placed on a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence by publisher John Binns ; the work cost Binns a total of $ 9 @,@ 000 ( equal to $ 139 @,@ 128 today ) . Also employed at the Murray firm from 1816 was the man who would be Longacre 's predecessor as chief engraver , Christian Gobrecht . Longacre 's work at the company gave him a good reputation as an engraver skilled in rendering other artists ' paintings as a printed engraving , and in 1819 , he set up his own business at 230 Pine Street in Philadelphia . 
