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.
The Folger is open! New exhibition galleries, gardens, and shop
What’s on
Join us for in-person and virtual events: theater, poetry, music, and more.
Hip-Hop and Spoken Word
Folger Pop-Up Book Fair 2024
Cultural Literacy Through Puppets
Cuban Salsa Night
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Folger Book Club: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Youth Poetry Workshop
Queer Culture Night
Dance Theatre Workshop
Arab Music and Poetry Night
News and announcements
Folger Shakespeare Library Names Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper as Director
Press release: May 20, 2024
About us
How did the world’s largest Shakespeare collection end up one block from the US Capitol? Explore the Folger’s origin story.
The latest from our blogs and podcast
Quiz: Shakespeare and travel
In this busy travel time, try out our “Travel and Shakespeare” quiz about journeys in his plays and in real life, too.
The Meaning of Mining from Agricola to Zárate
Fellow Anita Raychawdhuri explores how mining was imagined in the Early Modern world by examining images and tales of colonial Peru.
Celebrating a spectacular Fourth with Folger exhibitions
On display: A letter from Abigail Adams and other extraordinary American items help celebrate the Fourth of July.
A Tour of the Newly-Reopened Folger | Part 2
We take a look at how research happens at the Folger, from Folger Institute fellowships to the chairs in our Reading Room.
Michael Witmore on serving as director and the renovation
Michael Witmore talks about his experiences as Folger director and the recent Folger grand reopening.
Ovid, Shakespeare, and 'The Latinist' (Part Two)
The second part of the opening conversation between emma poltrack and Dr. Will Tosh as part of the June 2024 discussion of Mark Prins’s The Latinist.
Our collection
The First Folio
The Folger has the world’s largest collection of First Folios. Learn more about the book that gave us Shakespeare.
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.
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
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
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
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.
Support the things you love
Your gifts make access to our collection, learning opportunities, and exciting experiences happen.