Samuel Waller’s 1859 Passport

Washington, D.C. 1859

1859 U.S. passport used by businessman Samuel Mills Waller of Connecticut. The unusual symbol at the top – an eagle with a lyre – was added to the U.S. passport design by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, who served from 1817-1825. Adams developed the seal himself, which symbolizes the civilizing effect Orpheus (of ancient Greek mythology) and his lyre had on “savage man”.

  • Source/Credit: Gift of Stephen H. Grant, FSO, ret.
  • Catalog Number: 2012.0024.01
  • Created: 1859
  • Acquired: 2012

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MLA Format

Samuel Waller's 1859 Passport. 1859. National Museum of American Diplomacy, https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/samuel-wallers-1859-passport

Chicago Format

Samuel Waller's 1859 Passport, 1859, National Museum of American Diplomacy, Washington, DC, https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/samuel-wallers-1859-passport

APA Format

(1859). Samuel Waller's 1859 Passport [Object]. National Museum of American Diplomacy, Washington, D.C., United States. https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/samuel-wallers-1859-passport