Folger Finds
The Miniature Mystery of the Maybe Barbie Book
Does this dollhouse copy of Shakespeare’s plays belong to Barbie?
Johnny Cash's Shakespeare
The Folger’s collection includes a miniature set of Shakespeare’s plays that belonged to the Man in Black himself.
Savoring the seasons and Lettice Pudsey’s fritters
Food is intimately connected to climate and season. It was for Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and it is for us today. Beautiful, local produce is once again available in the northeast now that spring is turning into early summer. In…
Influences for Love's Labor's Lost: Contemporary texts and historical figures
Love’s Labor’s Lost is one of three Shakespeare plays without a primary source (the others being A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest), but that doesn’t mean it was created in a vacuum. Using four items from the Folger collection,…
Tastes of the Mediterranean: Italian food before Italy
Italian regions share a culinary history that is rooted in the ingredients, tastes, and techniques that came out of early-modern innovations, explorations, and cultural movements.
Taffety Tarts: How Folger manuscript recipes helped a 17th-century pastry make it into the Oxford English Dictionary
Food historian and The Great British Baking Show winner Mary-Anne Boermans writes about piecing together 17th-century manuscript recipes for Taffety Tarts.
Nora Titone shares highlights from the Folger's Booth collection
Nora Titone, author of a book on Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth, shares highlights from the Folger’s Booth collection.
Early Shakespeare films: scripts, stars, and souvenirs
These recent additions to the Folger collection relate to a range of early Shakespeare films that represented important firsts, won awards, and witnessed the transition from silent films to “talkies.”
'The Country Gentleman': A Forgotten Scandal and a Remarkable Discovery
Nell Gwynn offers a glimpse into the boisterous world of Restoration theater and the true story of one of its most famous heroines—but another compelling tale is that of ‘The Country Gentleman’ and its scandal.
Five Faces of Shakespeare
Among the many treasures of the Folger is a lavish “Cosway binding” that includes five unique miniatures by a 20th-century British artist, “Miss C. B. Currie,” based on the images from the book itself. One of the oddest to modern…
Discover the five most popular #FolgerFinds of 2018
Enjoy our five most popular #FolgerFinds posts on Instagram of items from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection, from a silhouette of a ‘Midsummer’ scene with Bottom and Titania to vintage photos of 19th-century actress Julia Marlowe.
Elsie Leslie: Sparkling Child Star of the American Stage
Discover American child star Elsie Leslie through a fascinating mix of Folger finds, including Elsie Leslie as Prince Arthur in King John and posing for a photo with preeminent actor Edwin Booth.