The earliest passport issued to an individual American citizen, as distinct from a ship's passport, in the Department's records in the National Archives was an original passport issued to Francis Maria Barrere at Philadelphia July 8, 1796, and signed by Secretary of State Thomas Pickering. This document had the Department of State seal impressed from the die of 1790 on a white paper wafer. Measuring 17/16 inches in diameter, the impression revealed the distinctive legend "Secretary of State's Office" in capital letters on the inside. The seal depicted resembled the design of the Great Seal in every aspect except that the eagle's wingtips point downward instead of upward.

The Thirteen Original States of the Union were represented by 13 stars and the shield on the eagle's breast represented the Union. According to the authors of the design, the olive branch and arrows denoted "the power of peace and war." In the eagle's beak was a streamer bearing the motto, "E Pluribus Unum""Out of Many, One." The eagle facing the olive branch indicated that America is at peace.

Although the seal die of 1790 continued in service until 1834, its use on passports ceased in August 1820. From then until May 1874 passports bore somewhat inaccurate facsimiles of the Department seal, engraved on the succession of copper plates from which the passport forms of that period were printed. Passports from 1822-1843 had the engraved legend, "Secretary of State's Office" between the seal facsimile and the description-of-the-bearer column, on the left, and the statement, "Given under my hand and the impression of the Seal of the Department of State" on the right, about 23/4 inches from the bottom of the page. Below the seal· was the engraver's imprint, "W. I. Stone, script. et sculpt. Washington, D.C." (Exhibit 47)

Passport forms of the period 1843-1870 had the seal facsimile in about the same position but lacked identification of the engraver or printer. Passport documents in use from 1871 to 1874 identified the engraver as Philp & Salomons, Washington, D.C.

The Department resumed using original impressions of the Department seal on passports in May 1874. The machine developed for this purpose by Edward Stabler of Sandy Spring, Maryland, in 1844 consisted of a die, counter-die, and press. Distinguishing characteristics of the Stabler die were the legend, "Department of State," and the sheaf of four arrows pointing upward.

In 1880 the Stabler die was replaced by a larger die, measuring 25/16 inches in diameter with a distinctive design, which included an eagle with its head turned to the left, three arrows in its left talon, and for the first time the legend around the device as it appears on the Department seal today. This die remained in use on passports until 1911.

Exhibit 47. Passport with engraved legend "W.I. Stone" beneath

The basic design of the seal of the Department of State had always conformed to the design of the Great Seal of the United States. Dies cut before 1911 had their own characteristics. But from 1911 on, the Department seal has been a smaller reproduction of the Great Seal of the United States, with an encircling legend, "Department of State United States of America."

With the requirement of photographs in 1914, the seal was affixed to each passport twice, once on the lower part of the photograph overlapping the passport page and again on the red paper wafer.

In January 1918 the Department adopted a more convenient passport format, which resulted in a new seal die being used on passport photographs.11 This die was exactly the same as the one of 1911 but its size was reduced to 13/4 inches in diameter.

Until 1926 the seal was impressed on a red paper wafer glued to the passport, partly on the bearer's photograph and partly the passport page. With the March 22, 1926, edition of the passport only a facsimile of the wafer was imprinted with red ink. The seal was impressed on this facsimile and also on the photograph.

In 1939 the seal was embossed fully on the photograph allowing sufficient space at the bottom of the photograph for the legend. Passports issued on or after April 1, 1939, by Passport Agencies carried the seal of the respective Agency on the photographs. In the event passports were amended to include additional person(s), one impression of the seal was placed on the photograph of the person(s) to be included and a second impression covered the amendment to include the statement.

On April 15, 1956, the passport format was redesigned to place the printed wafer facsimile on page 3 and the photograph on page 4. With this arrangement the same seal could be embossed on the wafer and the photograph in one operation. On the 1961 passport the seal was embossed directly on the photograph. A facsimile of the seal was printed on the cover, above the Secretary's message, and was also reproduced as a series of watermarks on each page.

Originally, each Passport Field Agency had its own seal, consisting of the Great Seal surrounded by a legend identifying the Agency. By 1960, these Agency seals were replaced by a Department of State seal which still appears on the photograph in all passports issued in the United States. U.S. diplomatic and consular posts abroad continue to use the post's own consular seal on the passports issued.

On display in the Passport Office in Washington, D.C., is a large cast-steel ball-screw action seal press, believed to have been purchased in 1844 from Edward Stabler. This press continued in daily operation until 1929, when an improved version came on the

11 See Type II passport, p. 63.

scene, though until 1956, it was used as a backup machine. The Passport Office also has on display a small manual ball-screw type seal machine and a manual lever action press, both formerly used on passport photographs. (Exhibit 48).

The Legend

Legends are used to prevent substitution of photographs in passports. The first legend required by regulation on December 21, 1914, was applied with a rubber stamp and stated:

This is to certify that the photograph attached hereto is a likeness of the person to whom this passport is issued. In witness whereof the seal of the Department of State is impressed upon the photograph. (Exhibit 38)

PASSPORTS ISSUED IN THE UNITED STATES

The Passport Division in 1926 pioneered the development of a machine to perforate a legend across the lower part of the photograph after it was attached to the passport. (Exhibit 49) This legend machine not only added a security feature to the passport document but also did away with the necessity of using a rubber hand stamp. The first legend machine was installed in September 1928 and imprinted the legend: "Attached, Department of State, Washington." Passports issued by Agencies indicated the location of the issuing office instead of Washington, D.C. (Exhibit 41 and 42)

Legend machines remained standard equipment in the issuing of U.S. passports until 1957 when a combination seal and legend machine was put into operation. An improved version of the seal and legend machine containing a die cast, rather than engraved in copper, was developed in 1961 and used until 1964. (Exhibit 43)

The first hydraulic combination seal and legend machine was engineered and installed in Washington on October 8, 1964. Agencies in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco received the machines in 1969. By 1972, all Agencies except Honolulu were equipped with the hydraulic seal and legend machine.

The legend used today is impressed partly along the right side of the applicant's photograph and onto the passport page in such a way so as not to obscure the features of the person(s) in the photograph. One half of the legend is in blue ink in the photograph, the other, red. The Department of State's seal is impressed in the middle of the passport bearer's photograph simultaneously with the impression of the legend.