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Folger Collections

The evolution of collection practices: a case study
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The evolution of collection practices: a case study

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Lauren Liebe

A guest post by Lauren Liebe There is nothing quite as exciting in archival research as stumbling upon an unexpected connection between two objects. When I called up L852 copy 3 and D2292, I had not realized that they shared…

Uncancelling the cancelled: recovering obliterated owners of old books
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Uncancelling the cancelled: recovering obliterated owners of old books

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Author
Heather Wolfe

Last week’s Crocodile showed a detail of a cancelled name on the title page of Folger STC 17132. Title page of Folger STC 17132 with Humphrey Dyson’s name deleted. Despite the parallel hatching that was used to conceal it, two…

Costuming 'Confection'
Folger Spotlight

Costuming 'Confection'

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Folger Theatre

Before we say good-bye to this extraordinary ‘Confection,’ explore how costume designer Karen Young created the look of this lavish feast for the senses.

Almanacs as Underdogs
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Almanacs as Underdogs

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Katherine Walker

A guest post by Katherine Walker The Folger houses many impressive texts and manuscripts. So much so, in fact, that it is easy to overlook the library’s equally vast and provocative collection of less illustrious genres. These texts will not…

Accounting for Relationships: the Drury Lane Financial Records
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Accounting for Relationships: the Drury Lane Financial Records

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Author
Chelsea Phillips

A guest post by Chelsea Phillips With the cherry trees blooming (almost), the sun shining (sometimes), and tax season looming, there is no more delightful time to consider the vagaries of 18th-century theatrical accounting practice. The Folger Shakespeare Library holds…

What is the scope of the STC?
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What is the scope of the STC?

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Caroline Duroselle-Melish

John Lancaster’s guess for March’s crocodile post is correct: This catechism, printed in Basel by Andreas Gesner, has an STC number because it follows the use of Salisbury; it therefore belongs to the group of books not in English printed…

Hats Off to Millinery: The fabulous headware of 'Nell Gwynn'
Folger Spotlight

Hats Off to Millinery: The fabulous headware of 'Nell Gwynn'

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Author
Folger Theatre

Milliner Adelle Gresock describes below how she created the fabulous chapeaux seen in ‘Nell Gwynn.’

Untangling Lady Day dating and the Julian calendar
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Untangling Lady Day dating and the Julian calendar

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Erin Blake

Folger X.c.92 (3) is my new favorite manuscript: it’s a letter written in Paris that single-handedly demonstrates the fact that “new style” dates refer to two different calendar modernizations. One modernization has to do with the Christian calendar’s reckoning of…

'The Country Gentleman': A Forgotten Scandal and a Remarkable Discovery
Folger Spotlight

'The Country Gentleman': A Forgotten Scandal and a Remarkable Discovery

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Author
emma poltrack

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.

Theatrical Bills and Receipts
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Theatrical Bills and Receipts

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Abbie Weinberg

Folger manuscripts W.b.110 and W.b.111 are an oddly mis-matched pair. W.b.110 is nearly 46cm tall (almost 18 inches, for those playing along at home) and nearly 160 leaves, while W.b.111 is a good 10cm shorter and about a third the…

Folger collections in times of war
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Folger collections in times of war

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Elizabeth DeBold

As you guessed, the image from last week’s Crocodile Post is a hand-drawn plan for a vault. This particular one was intended to store the Folger’s rare books during World War II. The hand-drawn plan is the work of Stanley…

Five Faces of Shakespeare
Miss C.B. Currie. Miniature, Cosway binding, 1928. James Boaden, An Inquiry into the Authenticity of Various Pictures. 1824. Folger Shakespeare Library.
Shakespeare and Beyond

Five Faces of Shakespeare

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Author
Esther Ferington

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…

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