Manuscripts
Folger Finds: New Year's Gift Rolls of Elizabeth I and Henry VIII
In early modern England, New Year’s Day was celebrated with a long-standing custom of giving gifts to the monarch. Each gift was carefully recorded on “gift rolls.” What were the top gifts in 1539 and 1585?
Folger Finds: Winter Scenes
Scenes of winter in the Folger collection, from snowy outdoor scenes to fashionable illustrations to mentions of winter in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.
Buds, Bugs, and Birds in the Manuscripts of Esther Inglis
Flowers, bugs, birds, frogs—all and more are found in the manuscripts of Esther Inglis (1570?–1624) now on display in Little Books, Big Gifts, a special Folger exhibition highlighting her artistry with pen and brush.
Covering Esther, or What Happens When Renaissance Woman Esther Inglis Exchanges Her Brush and Pen for a Needle: Examining Embroidery Through Reproduction
A behind the scenes look at the creation of a reproduction of one of the embroidered bindings on display in Little Books, Big Gifts: The Artistry of Esther Inglis.
Welcome to the Banquet
Fellow Douglas Clark delves into the contents of the previously overlooked manuscript, Thomas Grocer’s Banquet of Sweetmeats.
Better than a Pound of Sorrow: Antidotes for Melancholy in Early Modern England
Fellow Andrés Gattinoni looks at Early Modern collections of music and jokes intended to cure melancholy.
Two versions of Thomas Cromwell's very urgent letter conveying Henry VIII's impatience over his impending marriage to Anne of Cleves
A suggested solution to May’s Folger Mystery about two almost identical letters regarding Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne of Cleves in the Folger’s Collection.
A ‘declineing time’? The final illnesses of Constance and Elizabeth Lucy
Folger Fellow Emma Marshall explores the history of the women of the Lucy family.
Beyond a Cure for Plague
Fellow Kathleen Miller explores the Early Modern use of plague cures to treat more than one type of illness
Charles T. Grilley and the Garrick letter
How Henry Folger acquired a David Garrick letter in our collection
Marmalade boxes, Lenten fasts, and love
Heather Wolfe discovers the true intentions behind Jane Skipwith’s marmalade box
Interview and excerpt: Joseph Mansky, Libels and Theater in Shakespeare’s England: Publics, Politics, Performance
An interview with Dr. Joseph Mansky and an excerpt from his 2023 book Libels and Theater in Shakespeare’s England: Publics, Politics, Performance.