Welcome to the Folger
Enjoy great stories | Explore what makes you curious | Share the best in art, history, and literature with friends and family at the world’s largest Shakespeare collection.
Opening June 21: New exhibition galleries, café, and shop
What’s on
Join us for in-person and virtual events: theater, poetry, music, and more.
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Out of the Vault
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Imprints in Time
About us
How did the world’s largest Shakespeare collection end up one block from the US Capitol? Explore the Folger’s origin story.
![Night view of the Folger Shakespeare Library with the U.S. Capitol building in the background](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/12/folger-capitol-night-view-background.jpg?resize=20%2C10&gravity)
The latest from our blogs and podcast
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Collection Connections: 'The East Indian' by Brinda Charry
Su Fang Ng revisits her May 2024 presentation on Brinda Charry’s The East Indian.
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What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in May
Find out what’s onstage at Shakespeare theaters across the country this month.
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Mary Zimmerman on Adapting Ovid and Directing Shakespeare
Theater-maker Mary Zimmerman joins us on our podcast to talk about creating her award-winning adaptation of Metamorphoses.
![M.S. Account of the Lady Lucy A small brown volume with gold lettering being held by a hand mostly out of frame](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2024/04/M.S.-Account-of-the-Lady-Lucy-scaled-e1713973969136.jpg?resize=16%2C10&gravity)
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.
![The Tragedy of Macbeth a dramatic black and white image of a man and woman leaning with their faces close together](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2024/04/The-Tragedy-of-Macbeth-2021-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand.jpg?resize=16%2C10&gravity)
Worthy scaffold: The epic intimacy of William Shakespeare
Austin Tichenor writes about movies that feel like plays and theater that feels cinematic.
About the Folger's Search for a New Director
The Folger is seeking a seasoned and strategic director with energy and vision to lead the organization into its second century. Learn more about the search process.
Our collection
![Title page with engraved portrait of Shakespeare in the middle. Text printed above it reads](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/08/003281.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024)
The First Folio
The Folger has the world’s largest collection of First Folios. Learn more about the book that gave us Shakespeare.
![Sieve portrait A three-quarters length portrait of a woman with dark red hair and pale face and hands. She is wearing an ornate red and gold gown with a high ruff and she is holding a golden sieve in her right hand.](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/08/003219.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024)
A majestic portrait
The Folger collection includes about 200 paintings. This portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by George Gower is dated 1579, making it the oldest painting in our collection. Two years after he completed this portrait, Gower became Serjeant Painter to the Queen, making him the most important artist in England.
Our other Elizabeth I holdings include hand-signed letters, books, and even New Year’s gift rolls detailing her holiday gifts. It is the largest collection of Elizabeth I materials in North America.
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Shakespeare’s works
View the full list of plays and poems to read, search, and download our bestselling editions of Shakespeare’s works.
Shakespeare’s most popular plays
Explore
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What was Shakespeare's theater like?
Learn about the Globe and other London playhouses where Shakespeare’s company performed. What was it like to be an actor there, or an audience member?
Teach
![Randle Highlands Folger 137 Student reading a Folger Shakespeare in class.](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/10/Randle-Highlands-Folger-137-scaled.jpg?resize=16%2C10&gravity)
How can Shakespeare help 21st-century students be stronger readers?
Our Folger Method is revolutionizing how not just Shakespeare but all literature is taught using strategies that allow all students to own – and enjoy – complex texts.
Research
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If we are what we eat, what can recipes from the past tell us?
Projects like Before ‘Farm to Table’ unite scholars and practitioners in investigations into the past to shed light on what matters to us today.
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Support the things you love
Your gifts make access to our collection, learning opportunities, and exciting experiences happen.