Little Blue Book

Held by over 145 million Americans, the U.S. passport looms large for its importance to international travel and identification. Often overlooked, however, is the visual content of the passport's 26 pages, which include scenes from every corner of the country, the essentialized symbols of our civic identity, and hidden features only visible under a black light.

Today, I'm going to take my numismatic appreciation for the design of currency and turn it toward the passport, another mass-produced official printing of the government.

Like money, the design of the passport serves both pragmatic and symbolic purposes: on one hand, to convey useful information and to secure from malicious misuse; on the other, to convey the values and authority of the people who created it. Unlike money, however, the passport has an international audience. Therefore, its design choices not only speak to who we think we are, but how we want to be seen by our global peers.

You can click on the red info-dots to see more information about specific elements of the passport. To see the other pages of the passport, use the arrow buttons. You can also switch between different versions of the passport on the navigation bar:

• Use the "new" button to view the 2021 "Next Generation" passport.
• Use the "black" button to view the Next Generation passport under a black light.
• Use the "old" button to view the version of the passport before the 2021 redesign.

To customize the your viewing experience, you can open the menu at the upper right-hand corner of the passport. There, you can toggle the visibility of info-dots and adjust the brightness and contrast of the image to bring out more detail.

The cover of the U.S. passport is blue, which is the most common passport color worldwide. The color chosen can signify alignment with a particular identity. Burgundy, for example, is the chosen color of the EU, while West Africa favors green passports, according to Vox. America's navy blue passport cover, which was adopted in 1994, puts it in line with the vast majority of the Western hemisphere and with anglophone countries of the global north, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

The basic elements of passport covers are mostly the same from country to country. Typically, they bear the name of the country, the word "Passport," and the coat of arms (or other symbol) of the country of issuance. The gold-lettered text on the cover of the U.S. passport is set in Minion, a clean, readable, old-style serif typeface similar to Garamond. The choice of typeface reflects the authority and utility of the document.

The coat of arms of the United States is displayed prominently in the center of the passport cover.

A biometric passport symbol indicates that the passport contains embedded electronics that allow digital information about the bearer to be read by a machine. The United States fully switched to biometric passport technology in 2007.

The star-spangled banner is the theme of the first spread of the passport. Both the national anthem and the national flag feature prominently on these pages.

The most noticeable difference between the old and redesigned versions of this spread is the color. Yellow and green are in, and the muted reds and blue-grays of the old design are out. The redesigned palette is far brighter and more saturated than the old one—about as bold as one could expect a federal document to be. These color choices extend to the rest of the redesign as well.

The new passport is also unapologetic in its use of what I like to call the "federal classical" aesthetic, which is characterized by the use of certain greco-roman visual elements in an engraved style. The aesthetic's continued use by the federal government and historical origins have given it a uniquely American air of authority. Comparing the engraving between the redesigned and old versions of the passport reveals the difference that the federal classical aesthetic makes.

The inner front cover depicts a legendary moment from the war of 1812. An engraved reproduction of a painting by Percy Moran shows Francis Scott Key standing on a ship, his hand outstretched toward a still-flying American flag in the wake of the Battle of Baltimore. The image of that persevering symbol famously inspired Key to write the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner," which would eventually become the national anthem.

(I use the term "engraving" here to describe the style; in either version of the passport, you can run your finger along the image and feel that it is, in fact, raised.)

The last two lines of the national anthem appear in Francis Scott Key's original handwriting at the top of the page.

The ornamentation surrounding the engraving, added in the 2021 redesign, notably includes elaborate framing, acanthus leaves, and "The United States of America" heavily set in wedge-serifed, capitalized lettering that jumps out of the page. The federal classical quality of the engraving evokes the feeling of U.S. currency and documents such as the certificate of naturalization.

The first 7 measures of "The Star-Spangled Banner" arranged for the piano appear at the bottom of the right-hand page in the redesigned passport. This arrangement is a bit odd, however. First, it is in C major, while today the anthem is performed mostly in B♭. The rhythm in the sixth measure is also unconventional.

Admittedly, my reading of the music may be incorrect because it is difficult to see on the page due to its small size and because it is obscured from view.

Under black light, a waving American flag appears above the engraving, its central portion tinted red in an apparent reference to the "rocket's red glare" lyric in the national anthem.

This red, UV-sensitive ink is only used on the front inner-cover. Elsewhere in the passport, only yellow-green UV-sensitive ink is used. The only other exception to this is the back inner-cover, which contains blue UV-sensitive ink; the covers are formed out of a single piece bent in the middle.

The right-hand page contains a message (duplicated in English, French, and Spanish) from the Secretary of State requesting the smooth passage of the traveler. This official message fittingly appears beneath symbols of the authority of the country: the Coat of Arms of the United States and a quote from Abraham Lincoln that establishes the sovereignty and endurance of popular government.

The message is presented in Palatino in the old version of the passport.

"USA" is presented here in color-changing ink.

Flourishes on either side of the engraving are presented in color changing ink.

The 2021 redesign added a new security feature: the bearer's passport number is now perforated through the bottom of every interior page, in this case obscuring the view of the music. Here and throughout the passport, I have blurred my passport number for my protection

Under the black light, the words "USA PASSPORT" are visible on either side of the engraving.

Holes are punched through expired passports to indicate their invalidity.

Colored fibers are embedded throughout the 2021 passport's pages to make counterfeiting more difficult.

Fibers sensitive to UV-light, separate from those visible under ordinary lighting conditions, are embedded throughout the passport as a security measure.

A small embossed "USA" appears to the left of the engraving.

Intricate background patterns make the passport harder to replicate, in addition to adding visual flair.

The right-hand page is made of hard plastic in the 2021 version. Engraved into the plastic near the coat of arms is an image of a scroll that reads "USA," with microtext reading "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PASSPORT" running along its bottom edge.

At the top of the right-hand page is the concluding line from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, one of the most frequently cited kernels of American patriotism.

The quote and attribution are presented in Times New Roman in the old version of the passport, and Trajan in the new version.

The right-hand page, which is made of hard plastic, is unique in the passport for containing no UV-sensitive elements.

Among the most notable features of this page spread that were removed with the redesign is the enormous American flag that spans the entire width of the pages. The redesign, while still unapologetically American, seems to express its patriotism in different ways.

This rendering of the coat of arms contains microtext in several places:

• "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" appears clockwise around the entire achievement.
• "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" also appears parallel to two of the arrows in the eagle's right talons.
• "USA" appears below the "E PLURIBUS UNUM" banner in the eagle's beak.

No matter how you slice it, the identity (left) and signature (right) pages are some of the oddest in the passport. While most of the 2021 design is colorful, these pages are the drabbest of the bunch, using mostly monochromatic blues and purples. The background—the Great Seal of the United States and an intricate carving prominently featuring acanthus leaves—is boring, although it fits in with the federal classical aesthetic. They've even removed color from the bearer's photograph.

In the old passport, these pages also stick out, but for the opposite reason: among their relatively unassuming peers, they feature an enormous eagle, American flag, and stalk of amber wheat. Oh, and also the entire preamble to the Constitution, replete with "We the People" in the original handwriting.

The reasoning behind the drastic change to these pages is unclear. I'd like to think the redesigners recognized that this much Ameritude might be a bit on the nose and way overcorrected, but practical concerns may have dictated what to do: the relatively plain background may have been adopted to allow for endorsements to be placed on the signature page instead of in the back of the passport, as was the case in the old design.

Despite the deemphasization of certain traditional patriotic symbols, it would be wrong to describe the new passport as less American than the old design. The new passport still includes many other references to American history, culture, governance, and visual design. Its cues are subtler and more tactful, but aesthetic patriotism still permeates the entire redesigned document.

The inclusion of designs visible only under a black light or through a tilt of the page (as is the case with the new identity page) is a particularly interesting site of innovation on this front. These literally add another dimension to the passport's design and provide additional real estate for patriotic symbolism.

In the redesigned passport, the identification page has been changed to be made out of hard plastic. Embossed into the page is a raised pattern containing the waving stripes of the U.S. flag, eagles, firework-like star clusters, a line drawing of Mount Rushmore, and the word "USA," for good measure. As with the previous page, the most conspicuously patriotic elements are not visible under ordinary lighting conditions.

The waving image of the American flag is formed of lines of microtext and four thicker stripes each made of a network of perpendicular lines. (One of the thicker stripes is not visible in this photograph.) The microtext lines alternately read "UNITED STATES PASSPORT," "WE THE PEOPLE," and "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." The thicker stripes also carry these messages in a subtle, difficult-to-read way: the vertical lines form the letters of the message and the horizontal lines act as negative space.

The embossed "USA" contains similar pattern of parallel and intersecting lines; it spells out "UNITED STATES" within the space of its letters.

The main visual element of the identity page is a large image of the Great Seal of the United States.

A transparent holographic sticker displays the coat of arms over the bottom right-hand corner of the bearer's photograph.

The bottom edge of the sticker contains the bearer's passport number, and the right-hand edge has a code containing the first three letters of the bearer's last name and the year of expiration of the passport. In my case: CLA2031.

Microtext on the sticker reads, "WE THE PEOPLE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." Microtext surrounding the sticker reads, "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."

A color image of the bearer appears on the signature page of the new passport. It is formed entirely out of wavy microtext containing the bearer's name and passport number.

The signature page has the words "UNITED STATES PASSPORT" flanked by olive branches to compliment the ornate background. For some reason, throughout the passport, the center of the UV-sensitive design on each page is significantly dimmer than the top and bottom.

The actual information contained of the identity page has not changed much between the new and old versions of the passport. Nearly everything about it—down to the language, type size, and roughness of the photographic paper—is governed by an ICAO standard.

Under a black light, the identity page is dark, presumably because adding UV-sensitive ink to plastic is challenging.

"USA" is presented here in color-changing ink.

A small version of the bearer's image is presented here under a fine lattice of lines in the plastic. The bearer's birth date is printed at the bottom of this small image.

A sea of microtext repeatedly reads, "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."

"USA" is presented here in color-changing ink.

A hologram spans the identity page. It features streaks of stars, corn, gourds, and other produce, the capitol buildings, and the lyrics of the last stanza of the national anthem. The lyrics are presented from bottom to top, but because of the nature of the hologram, the words are revealed one-by-one and in the correct order if the page is tilted in a particular way.

A holographic image of a founding father's likeness, probably Thomas Jefferson's, appears here.

According to the state department, an endorsement is an "indication of the circumstances under which a passport was issued or can be used." For example, if the bearer is a national, but not a citizen, of the United States, their status will be indicated in the endorsements section. A full list of endorsements currently offered is maintained by the Department of State.

Interestingly, the passport number, date of birth, and date of expiration are all printed in raised text above the plastic page, while the other text appears to be printed below the lamination.

The pre-printed field titles on the identification page are written in Arial.

The preamble to the U.S. constitution, written by Gouverneur Morris, outlines the guiding principles and purpose of the popular government established by the constitution.

The preamble is displayed here in Garamond.

These pages prominently feature America's national animal and mammal: the bald Eagle and the American Bison, respectively. The scene of bison grazing before snow-capped, pine-lined mountains particularly reminds me of Yellowstone National Park, one of America's most treasured natural areas.

It's worth noting here the degree to which the redesigned passport is softer than its predecessor; finer detail is less discernable, almost as if the entire document was airbrushed. For example, the grass on this page has considerable texture in the old passport but is but a green blob in the new version. This change is true of all the remaining pages of the passport, and it does make sense in some regards: background designs should probably "pop" less than foreground material.

The order of pages was slightly changed when the passport was redesigned in 2021. I have chosen to present the pages here in the order of the new passport, with corresponding pages matched according to their background designs. In the new passport, this spread appears on pages 4 and 5; in the old, it appears on pages 12 and 13.

Every interior page of the passport bears a dark watermark showing the coat of arms of the United States and light watermarks displaying "USA" and the page number. (Since both sides of each sheet have the same watermark, only the odd page numbers are used.)

Additionally, a security ribbon reading "U.S. PASSPORT" and "WE THE PEOPLE" is visible when the passport is held up to a light source.

Every interior page of the passport bears a watermark showing an eagle, America's national animal.

Additionally, a security ribbon reading "U.S. PASSPORT" and "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE" is visible when the passport is held up to a light source.

This section listing the security features of the passport was added in the 2021 redesign. Space for this section was made by reducing the amount of "important information" available on pages 6 and 7, in several cases referring readers to websites rather than including the information directly on the page.

These page numbers use a wedge typeface and have leafy ornamentation, two commonly used elements of the federal classical aesthetic.

The positions of the page numbers change from page to page. They are near the top of the page at the beginning of the passport but steadily shift down as you proceed through the document.

The sans-serif typeface used on these pages is Arial.

The soaring eagle that was prominently visible in the old version of the passport is but a faint shadow in the new version.

The serif typeface used here is Times New Roman.

The typeface used for the word "Visas" in the old version of the passport is Century Schoolbook.

The serif typeface used for the quotes and attributions on visa pages is Times New Roman.

The words "UNITED STATES PASSPORT" appear under a black light on every interior page of the passport.

The passport number perforated through the bottom of each page glows under an ultraviolet light.

The primary UV sensitive element of this spread is the glowing outline of an eagle as it flies through a starry night sky. Throughout the passport, many of the black light designs fittingly display nighttime scenes.

Under a black light, red- and blue-glowing stars and stripes appear on the security strip embedded into each page.

This spread depicts a cactus-filled desert characteristic of the American southwest.

The sans-serif typeface used on these pages is Avenir.

The black light background design of this page depicts two prospectors panning for gold in Nelson Gulch near Helena, Montana. (It's hard to see; you can change the brightness and contrast in the passport options to bring out more detail.) This design is a mirrored recreation of an old photograph held by the Denver Public Library.

According to the Denver Public Library, the original photograph was posed and used as a model for a painting in the Senate Chamber of the Montana State Capitol. The library hypothesizes that the photograph was taken c. 1901–1902, although the date is uncertain.

Fittingly, the first visa pages of the passport celebrate the first moments of the country's existence. This spread depicts the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Declaration of Independence—symbols of American independence from 18th century Philadelphia.

The top of each Visa page bears a quote; you can click on the info-dot located near each quote to see information and context about the quote.

In the new passport, the word "Visas" is written alternately in Palatino and Times New Roman. Here it is set in Palatino.

In the new passport, the word "Visas" is written alternately in Palatino and Times New Roman. Here it is set in Times New Roman.

The black light design is a reproduction of "The Bell's First Note," a painting by Jean Léon Gérom̂e Ferris c. 1913. It depicts the Liberty Bell at the foundry where it was cast and a woman holding a hammer to give the bell its inaugural ring.

This spread bears a quote said by George Washington prior to the first meeting of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

The quote is sourced from Gouverneur Morris's oration upon the death of Washington in 1799. According to Morris's account, Washington was arguing against blindly following the popular will in framing a new government, which is clearer in the full context of the quote:

"It is too probable that no plan we propose will be adopted. Perhaps another dreadful conflict is to be sustained. If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God."

This quote serves as a reminder of the founders' skepticism of democracy, which led them to create a republican form of government that places many checks on majority rule.

This scene of a masted ship on a windswept stretch of sea and a lighthouse could be from nearly anywhere on the East Coast of the United States. But it particularly evokes feelings of New England, which was historically the center of the American shipbuilding industry.

This quote, taken from President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961, addressed the global uncertainty caused by the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. In his address, Kennedy resolved to act against the increasing global influence of the Soviet Union, citing America's commitment to liberty and human rights.

The black light reveals the nighttime scene of the lighthouse's beam sweeping the sea, its light reflecting off the waves.

This iconic quote from the Declaration of Independence reflects America's founding promise of equality—and serves as a stark reminder of the many ways the country has fallen short of that goal.

This depiction of a steam-powered riverboat calmly sailing down a waterway evokes a certain Twainian brand of patriotic appreciation for the Mississippi River and its characteristic industry, mythology, and way of life.

This quote comes from a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, on July 4, 1917, after he left the White House. In the speech, he questioned immigrants' and conscientious objectors' loyalty to the country and encouraged a stronger national identity as the best way to fulfill America's true potential.

Here is the full context of the quote:

"This is a new nation, based on a mighty continent, of boundless possibilities. No other nation in the world has such resources. No other nation has ever been so favored. If we dare to rise level with the opportunities offered us, our destiny will be vast beyond the power of imagination. We must master this destiny, and make it our own; and we can thus make it our own only if we, as a vigorous and separate nation, develop a great and wonderful nationality, distinctively different from any other nationality, of either the present or the past."

Under a black light, there is a different view of a "paddle steamer"—that is, a steamboat with paddle wheels at its sides. The stern and bow of the ship carry American flags, and the wheel housing reads "MISSISSIPPI." The ship is likely a military vessel as it appears to be carrying cannonballs.

One of America's most iconic landmarks, Mount Rushmore features the 60-foot-tall faces of four presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln—sculpted into a storied mountain in South Dakota.

The passport's binding is clearly visible in the central gutter because this spread is halfway through the passport.

In UV, an enormous American flag illuminates the sky behind Mount Rushmore.

Some of America's most precious natural beauties are alpine lakes like the one depicted on these pages.

Under a black light, the sky is lit up with bands of light perhaps meant to represent the Northern Lights. This would suggest that the depicted lake is in Alaska, the only part of the country at an extreme enough latitude to regularly experience auroras.

This quote was spoken by statesman Daniel Webster in Charlestown, Massachusetts on June 17, 1825, at the laying of the cornerstone of a monument to the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War. The passport designers appositely chose a quote that mentions mountains for this spread.

This spread depicts a homesteader plowing a field on a vast plain in preparation for growing wheat. This scene would have been typical of the Great Plains during the 19th century as America pushed its frontier ever westward.

The quality of this illustration in the redesigned version of the passport seems especially lacking. The homesteader, plow, and oxen look almost like they were cut out of the page and pasted onto the plain; they and do not feel integrated into the scene like they do in the old version.

Printed in UV-sensitive ink are a number of wavy bands stretching across the sky, perhaps a representation of light hitting stratus clouds at dusk.

This quote is sourced from President Dwight David Eisenhower's first inaugural address. Reflecting on the cold war, Eisenhower emphasized that—although the conflict was a global one—Americans would have to step up in their daily lives for the good of their country.

This quote mentioning the "heart of America" was appropriately placed on a spread prominently depicting America's heartland.

Depicted here are eight cattle being herded by a team of cowboys, an indispensable part of the mythos of the American West.

The black light design of this spread is a interwoven net of arcs that span the sky. The subtle rays of negative space originating at a point over the horizon indicate that the scene depicts a sunset over the mountains.

This quote is pulled from the inaugural address of President Lyndon B. Johnson. In his address, Johnson introduced his "Great Society" plan for the country and expressed optimism in the power of American progress.

This spread depicts a Hawaiian scene of a palm tree on a beach. Less conspicuously, it serves as a celebration of the American space program, one of the country's proudest achievements.

Ellison S. Onizuka was an American astronaut from Hawaii and the first Asian-American astronaut to go to space. He was on board the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded shortly after takeoff, killing him and the 6 other crew members on board. The quote used here comes from the address he gave to the class of 1980 at his alma mater, Konawaena High School in Kona, Hawaii.

This is a depiction of the Voyager spacecraft passing the moon. The American-flagged space probe signifies the farthest reaches of humanity—both physically and scientifically. The view of the Earth, the Moon, and the probe seems a perfect ending for the password—an homage to all the country has achieved, but also a prospect for all its future will hold.

A barcode with the passport bearer's number is placed here, blurred for my protection.

The starry night sky and Milky Way revealed under UV light seem to perfectly complement the figurative and literal stargazing that Onizuka's words invoke.

Faintly visible in the background on the back inner-cover of the old passport are the stripes of the American flag. These stripes are a continuation of the stripes from the front inner-cover.

These pages celebrate the technologies that defined American expansion westward during the 19th century—the railroad and the telegraph.

This quote is pulled from the golden spike which marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.

In the old version of the passport, there is a slight discrepancy: the quote (incorrectly) reads "the railroad" instead of "this railroad."

The beam of the train's headlight is dimly visible in UV.

The final spread includes a depiction of one of America's most iconic symbols: the Statue of Liberty, a 150-foot colossus that stands at the entrance of New York Harbor.

Anna Julia Cooper was a scholar who is celebrated as the Mother of Black Feminism. Born enslaved, she became the fourth African American woman to earn a PhD. This quote is taken from A Voice from the South, Cooper's first book.

In UV, a roaring flame emanates from Lady Liberty's torch.

In UV, the globe, the moon, and the Voyager spacecraft are illuminated. Additionally, a larger portion of the moon is visible. Small text on the moon reads, "USA PASSPORT."

The blue, UV-sensitive ink used for the globe is only used on the back inner-cover. Elsewhere in the passport, only yellow-green UV-sensitive ink is used. The only other exception to this is the front inner-cover, which contains red UV-sensitive ink; the covers are formed out of a single piece bent in the middle.

July 4, 1776, is the date the United States declared its independence from Great Britain. The Statue of Liberty holds a tablet bearing this date in Roman numerals.