Early modern life
Musicians on ships in Early Modern Europe
A look at the many roles that musicians played aboard Early Modern ships.
Shakespeare and tennis
Shakespeare mentions tennis in seven of his plays. But would he recognize the game we enjoy today? A Tudor history of the game with Shakespeare quotes about tennis.
“A smale remembrance”: Elizabethan Posy Rings
A closer look at 17th century engraved rings in the Folger’s collection
Bess of Hardwick, Elizabethan power player
Bess of Hardwick was the other famous Bess in Elizabethan England, after “Good Queen Bess,” aka Queen Elizabeth. Fabulously wealthy and savvy, she outlived four husbands, rising in status with each one. Trace her evolving power in letters from her last three husbands.
Performing Race in the London Lord Mayors’ Show, 1660-1708
Fellow Jamie Gemmell explores how race was performed in the annual London Lord Mayor’s Show
Defining Beauty in Text and Image in the late Seventeenth-Century
Fellow Jean Marie Christensen explores beauty standards of the 17th century.
Fireworks in the early modern world
Explore fireworks in our collection, which include illustrations from extravagant public spectacles and technical manuals with instructions for making your own.
Top Pop Songs of the 1600s
Angela McShane and Christopher Marsh share the most popular songs of 17th-century England discovered through their 100 Ballads project which features new recordings, ballad broadsheets, and more. Explore the soundtrack of Shakespeare’s world.
Folger Finds: Anne of Cleves' gift to Henry VIII
Explore a uniquely inscribed Book of Hours presented to Henry VIII by his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
The Women Who Served the Queens of Henry VIII
Who were the ladies-in-waiting to each of Henry VIII’s six wives and what were their lives like? An excerpt from Nicola Clark’s The Waiting Game looks at these overlooked but influential figures.
Women who changed history
We’re celebrating Women’s History Month with Shakespeare Unlimited podcast interviews and blog posts about women who have changed history, from the early modern world forward.
Shakespeare's Daughter
In an excerpt from Grace Tiffany’s imaginative novel, The Owl Was a Baker’s Daughter, we meet Judith Shakespeare at age 61, a midwife-apothecary in war-torn 17th-century England on the run to avoid arrest for witchcraft.