Folger Finds

Calling all book lovers! Some of our most popular #FolgerFinds posts on Instagram this year featured beautiful bindings of Shakespeare’s collected works or early editions of Shakespeare plays that may have slightly different plot elements than the versions we’ve come…

There is a long tradition of attempting to reconstruct the 1599 Globe, the multi-level open-air playhouse where many of Shakespeare’s plays were first performed. It will always be difficult to determine various details about the 1599 Globe, which burned to…

Elizabeth DeBold, Assistant Curator of Collections, shares items she presented on December 6, 2021 as an introduction to ‘All’s Well’ by Mona Awad.

Marking the anniversary of actor Edwin Booth’s birth on November 13, 1833, we explore a stunning historical costume from the Folger collection: an embroidered-velvet tunic that Booth wore onstage as King Richard III.

Rachel B. Dankert, Learning and Engagement Librarian, shares items she presented on November 4, 2021 as an introduction to ‘The Porpoise’ by Mark Haddon.

Folger Public Programs is pleased to present ENCORES, a bi-weekly online series highlighting past performances and recalling the rich history of programming on the historic Folger stage. This week, Learning and Engagement Librarian Rachel B. Dankert presents collection items related…

Born on October 12, 1840, the Shakespearean star Helena Modjeska shone bright in two very different theatrical worlds, first becoming a leading lady in Warsaw and then, after moving to Anaheim, California, launching a second career as a leading actress…

Dr. Emma Poltrack shares items she presented on October 7, 2021 as an introduction to ‘Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch’ by Rivka Galchen.

Assistant Curator of Collections Elizabeth deBold shares items related to Shakespeare’s sonnets, part of a presentation preceding the October 5 poetry reading with Diane Seuss and t’ai freedom ford.

Rachel B. Dankert, Learning and Engagement Librarian, shares items she presented on September 2, 2021 as an introduction to ‘We That Are Young’ by Preti Taneja.

Dr. Emma Poltrack shares items she presented on August 5, 2021 as an introduction to ‘The Last True Poets of the Sea’ by Julia Drake.

When you picture what’s in the Folger collection, many people imagine books and manuscripts from the early modern period — and we do have a lot of those! But the Folger also collects a variety of Shakespeare-related objects, including this…