Folger Finds

Folger Finds: Edwin Booth's royal tunic
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.

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

ENCORES: Revisiting The Gunpowder Plot of 1605
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…

Helena Modjeska, a shining Polish-American star
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…

Collection Connections: 'Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch' by Rivka Galchen
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.

Shakespeare's Sonnets in the Folger's Collection
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.

Collection Connections: 'We That Are Young'
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.

Collection Connections: 'The Last True Poets of the Sea' by Julia Drake
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.

Folger Finds: A Shakespeare quilt
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…

Folger Finds: A carved oak casket for holding a Shakespeare First Folio
Casket, carved in an Elizabethan style 1866.Imagine buying a book and having the queen of England give you a special case in which to store it! That’s what happened after wealthy heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts purchased a Shakespeare First Folio in…

Five Folger Finds for beating the heat and cooling off this summer
Is the July heat getting to you? Here are five items from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection that are just right for summertime. 1. A 1699 guide to swimming “In the seventeenth century, swimming was viewed not so much as…

Folger Finds: Photographs of Hamlet in Japan
In a recent post on the Folger’s Collation blog, assistant curator Elizabeth DeBold shared a small set of photographs, newly added to the Folger collection, that document a 1933 Japanese production of Hamlet: These five photos provide a glimpse of…