Research and discovery

Why does Samuel Pepys’s diary still matter today, 200 years after its publication? Historian Kate Loveman shares how Pepys’s candid entries illuminate life in Restoration England and how his diary has been edited over the centuries.

What did people eat in Shakespeare’s England? In Much Ado About Cooking, food historian Sam Bilton uncovers the surprising world of early modern cuisine, a delicious world shaped by global trade, humoral medicine, and delight in spectacle.

Shakespeare stories in the news this fall, from the Hamnet film to a new discovery in Shakespeare Quarterly about Shakespeare’s father. Plus a surprising connection between the middle school phrase “6-7” and Richard II.

Shakespeare’s era was abuzz with mathematical progress. Rob Eastaway uncovers the many surprising ways math shaped Shakespeare’s plays―and his world―in an excerpt from his book, Much Ado About Numbers.

Folger Artist Fellow Missy Dunaway shares what she’s learning while working on The Birds of Shakespeare, her project to paint the 65 birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works.

Imprisoned for nearly 20 years by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, fought her battles between the lines of her correspondence. 57 recently decoded letters show the human and political costs of Mary’s captivity.

Looking for inspiration for your holiday table? Look no further than the Folger’s adaptations of recipes in our collection—from early modern stuffing to sweet potato pudding to pumpkin pie, even mini-turkey pies!

What do we know about the historical reality of Aqua Tofana and other stories of women wielding poisons? The truth is very little. But like most historical parables, the myths are just as telling as the reality.

Before Shakespeare became a household name, there was Richard Burbage, the first actor to play Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear. Scholar Siobhan Keenan examines his remarkable career and lasting impact on early modern theater.

Ansel shares how her questions as an artist fellow about Fuseli’s take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth inspired her to create two abstract, large-scale oil paintings but this time from a woman’s perspective that celebrates the play’s sisterhood.

250 years after her birth, Jane Austen’s appeal endures. Scholar Patricia A. Matthew discusses editing three Austen novels and how new research on Caribbean sugar plantations expands our view of the Regency era.

Enjoy a round-up of Collation blog posts from Folger Institute Fellows about their research on Shakespeare, his works, and legacy.