Folger Shakespeare Library
Encyclopedia
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library
on Capitol Hill
in Washington, D.C.
, in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare
, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period (1500–1750). The library was established by Henry Clay Folger
in association with his wife, Emily Jordan Folger
. It opened in 1932, two years after his death.
The library offers advanced scholarly programs; national outreach to K–12 classroom teachers on Shakespeare education; and plays, music, poetry, exhibits, lectures, and family programs. It also has several publications and is a leader in methods of preserving rare materials.
The library is privately endowed and administered by the Trustees of Amherst College
. The library building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College
, was an avid collector of Shakespeareana. Toward the end of World War I, he and his wife Emily Jordan Folger
began searching for a location for his Shakespeare library. They chose a location adjacent to the Library of Congress
in Washington, D.C.. The land was then occupied by townhouses, and Folger spent several years buying the separate lots. The site was designated for expansion by the Library of Congress, but in 1928 the Congress
passed a resolution allowing its use for Folger's project.
The cornerstone
of the library was laid in 1930, but Folger died soon afterward. The bulk of Folger's fortune was left in trust
, with Amherst College
as administrator, for the library. Because of the stock market crash of 1929, Folger's estate was smaller than he had planned, although still substantial. Emily Folger, who had worked with her husband on his collection, supplied the funds to complete the project. The library opened on April 23, 1932 (believed to be Shakespeare's birthday). Emily Folger remained involved in its administration until shortly before her death in 1936.
The main Folger building was designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret
. The white marble exterior includes nine street-level bas-reliefs of scenes from Shakespeare's plays created by the sculptor John Gregory
, a statue of Puck
by Brenda Putnam
as well as many inscriptions personally selected by Henry Folger. The large Art Deco
window and door grilles are aluminum.
Inside, the building is designed in a Tudor style with oak paneling and plaster ceilings. The two reading rooms (one added in the early 1980s) are reserved for use by scholars who have obtained advance permission. Public spaces include the large exhibition gallery, a gift shop, and the Elizabethan theatre.
A second Folger building, the Haskell Center, opened in 2000 across the street from the original building. It houses the library's education and public programs staffs.
The Folger grounds include an Elizabethan garden of plantings from Shakespeare's plays or that were commonly used in his day.
, as well as many earlier quartos of his individual plays. Not restricted to Shakespeare, the library holds the world's third largest collection of English books printed before 1641, as well as substantial holdings of continental and later English imprints.
In all, the library collection includes more than 250,000 books, about 55,000 manuscripts (from Elizabeth I and John Donne
to Mark Twain
and Walt Whitman
), 250,000 playbills, and 50,000 works on paper (including prints and photographs). It also holds many paintings and sculptures, most related to Shakespeare or his plays.
The Folger Theatre performs a three-play season, featuring the works of Shakespeare as well as contemporary plays inspired by his works. Several productions have won a Helen Hayes Award
. The Folger Consort, the library's resident early music
ensemble, also performs a regular concert program.
The annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
readings are held in the Folger's Elizabethan Theatre.
The O. B. Hardison, Jr. Poetry Prize
is awarded by the library to a U.S. poet who has published at least one book within the last five years, has made important contributions as a teacher, and is committed to furthering the understanding of poetry.
The Folger Institute organizes academic conferences, symposia, and seminars, as well as summer institutes. The Folger education department holds month-long summer institutes on teaching Shakespeare, as well as workshops around the country.
Folger publications include the Folger Library editions of Shakespeare's plays, the journal Shakespeare Quarterly
, the teacher resource books Shakespeare Set Free, and exhibition catalogs.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
on Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period (1500–1750). The library was established by Henry Clay Folger
Henry Clay Folger
Henry Clay Folger was president and later chairman of Standard Oil of New York, a collector of Shakespeareana, and founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library.-Early life:...
in association with his wife, Emily Jordan Folger
Emily Jordan Folger
Emily Jordan Folger, born Emily Clara Jordan , was the wife of Henry Clay Folger and the co-founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library. During her husband's lifetime, she assisted him in building the world's largest collection of Shakespeare materials...
. It opened in 1932, two years after his death.
The library offers advanced scholarly programs; national outreach to K–12 classroom teachers on Shakespeare education; and plays, music, poetry, exhibits, lectures, and family programs. It also has several publications and is a leader in methods of preserving rare materials.
The library is privately endowed and administered by the Trustees of Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. The library building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
Standard Oil of New York president, then chairman of the board, Henry Clay FolgerHenry Clay Folger
Henry Clay Folger was president and later chairman of Standard Oil of New York, a collector of Shakespeareana, and founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library.-Early life:...
, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, was an avid collector of Shakespeareana. Toward the end of World War I, he and his wife Emily Jordan Folger
Emily Jordan Folger
Emily Jordan Folger, born Emily Clara Jordan , was the wife of Henry Clay Folger and the co-founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library. During her husband's lifetime, she assisted him in building the world's largest collection of Shakespeare materials...
began searching for a location for his Shakespeare library. They chose a location adjacent to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington, D.C.. The land was then occupied by townhouses, and Folger spent several years buying the separate lots. The site was designated for expansion by the Library of Congress, but in 1928 the Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed a resolution allowing its use for Folger's project.
The cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
of the library was laid in 1930, but Folger died soon afterward. The bulk of Folger's fortune was left in trust
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
, with Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
as administrator, for the library. Because of the stock market crash of 1929, Folger's estate was smaller than he had planned, although still substantial. Emily Folger, who had worked with her husband on his collection, supplied the funds to complete the project. The library opened on April 23, 1932 (believed to be Shakespeare's birthday). Emily Folger remained involved in its administration until shortly before her death in 1936.
Architecture
The main Folger building was designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret was a French-American architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he headed the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.- Biography :...
. The white marble exterior includes nine street-level bas-reliefs of scenes from Shakespeare's plays created by the sculptor John Gregory
John Gregory (sculptor)
-Life:When he was about 12 years old his family immigrated to the United States where he began is sculptural studies at the Art Students League in New York City. He continued these at both the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and at the American Academy in Rome. At various times he studied with J...
, a statue of Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
by Brenda Putnam
Brenda Putnam
Brenda Putnam Noted American sculptor and author. Born into a well connected family, she was the daughter of Herbert Putnam and granddaughter of George Palmer Putnam.Her work can be seen at Syracuse University's Carnegie Library....
as well as many inscriptions personally selected by Henry Folger. The large Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
window and door grilles are aluminum.
Inside, the building is designed in a Tudor style with oak paneling and plaster ceilings. The two reading rooms (one added in the early 1980s) are reserved for use by scholars who have obtained advance permission. Public spaces include the large exhibition gallery, a gift shop, and the Elizabethan theatre.
A second Folger building, the Haskell Center, opened in 2000 across the street from the original building. It houses the library's education and public programs staffs.
The Folger grounds include an Elizabethan garden of plantings from Shakespeare's plays or that were commonly used in his day.
Collection
The Folger, with its large collection of Shakespeare-related material, is best-known for its 82 copies of the 1623 Shakespeare First FolioFirst Folio
Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio....
, as well as many earlier quartos of his individual plays. Not restricted to Shakespeare, the library holds the world's third largest collection of English books printed before 1641, as well as substantial holdings of continental and later English imprints.
In all, the library collection includes more than 250,000 books, about 55,000 manuscripts (from Elizabeth I and John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
to Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
and Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
), 250,000 playbills, and 50,000 works on paper (including prints and photographs). It also holds many paintings and sculptures, most related to Shakespeare or his plays.
Activities
Folger Shakespeare Library's cultural and arts programs include theater, poetry, concerts, exhibitions, and lectures.The Folger Theatre performs a three-play season, featuring the works of Shakespeare as well as contemporary plays inspired by his works. Several productions have won a Helen Hayes Award
Helen Hayes Award
A Helen Hayes Award is a theater award named for the famed actress Helen Hayes to recognize excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are managed by Linda Levy Grossman. and presented by the Washington Theatre Awards Society.-Awards:The Helen Hayes...
. The Folger Consort, the library's resident early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
ensemble, also performs a regular concert program.
The annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens. The winner receives US $15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US $5000. The foundation brings the winner and runners-up to...
readings are held in the Folger's Elizabethan Theatre.
The O. B. Hardison, Jr. Poetry Prize
O. B. Hardison, Jr. Poetry Prize
The O.B. Hardison, Jr., Poetry Prize was awarded by the Folger Shakespeare Library to honor a U.S. poet whose art and teaching demonstrated great imagination and daring...
is awarded by the library to a U.S. poet who has published at least one book within the last five years, has made important contributions as a teacher, and is committed to furthering the understanding of poetry.
The Folger Institute organizes academic conferences, symposia, and seminars, as well as summer institutes. The Folger education department holds month-long summer institutes on teaching Shakespeare, as well as workshops around the country.
Folger publications include the Folger Library editions of Shakespeare's plays, the journal Shakespeare Quarterly
Shakespeare Quarterly
Shakespeare Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1950 by the . It is now under the auspices of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Along with book and performance criticism, Shakespeare Quarterly incorporates scholarly research and essays on Shakespeare and the age in which he...
, the teacher resource books Shakespeare Set Free, and exhibition catalogs.