The present invention relates to an illuminated document display system. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a portable document display case configured to house at least one document for discrete illuminated visual viewing. The display case further includes an illumination system, a document protection system, and a storage system. The illumination system is configured to house an illumination device in a manner that facilitates visually receiving information from a document while minimizing external non-document light transmission. The document protection system provides a receptacle to protectively house a document while maintaining the ability for a user to view the document. In addition, the document protection system is configured to enable the illumination system to transmit light upon the document. The storage system enables the illumination system and document display system to be manipulated in a manner to provide for convenient storage without damaging the document. A second embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for illuminating a document in a manner to receive visual information from the document while minimizing non-document light transmission.