KryptosHistoryKryptos CTF
AboutHistory
Color photograph of an early Jim Sanborn sculpture consisting of two vertical copper or wood panels split apart with a bright lightning-bolt-like streak of light or metal between them, displayed against a grey wall — representative of his work before the Kryptos commission.
Atmospheric color photograph of an early Jim Sanborn wall installation — a series of small dark oval or teardrop shapes suspended on thin rods — casting dramatic shadows in a dimly lit corridor, predating his Kryptos commission.
Kryptos Vigenère Tableau Copper Plate, Angled View Showing Curved Form
Sanborn Handwritten Notes — K4 Coordinates, Howard Carter Passage, and Layer Two
CIA Contract Page 1 — Sanborn Solicitation Offer and Award, $250,000, 1988
Close-up color photograph of the edge of the Kryptos copper sculpture panel with the artist's inscription "J.S. 1988" stamped into it, showing a patina of green oxidation — documenting Jim Sanborn's signature mark on the work.
Color photograph of a worker using an engraving machine on a large copper plate laid flat on a workbench, cutting the cipher letters of the Kryptos sculpture into the panel during fabrication in Jim Sanborn's studio.
Kryptos” © Copyright 1988 James Sanborn. All rights reserved. Photo Courtesy of Central Intelligence Agency
James Sanborn CIA Escort Badge No. 13764 with Contract and Dedication Letter
Mini Kryptos Archive Item Paradigm
Jim Sanborn, sculptor of Kryptos, sits beside a wooden table in front of the Kryptos sculpture at CIA headquarters, surrounded by projected words and a tall cylindrical sculpture covered in text.
CIA Kryptos Dedication Ceremony Program with James Sanborn Bio and William Webster Remarks
Paradigm Dan Robinson and Kryptos Archive Items

The History of Kryptos

Watch The Film
<198419841988199019982003201020212025