Manuscripts
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003
Contact information: phone number
001 (202) 544 4600
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
info@folger.edu
Reference number
Ms.
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Manuscripts
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Folger Shakespeare Library
Date note
15th century/21st century (bulk: 16th century/17th century)
Language(s)
eng
gre
ita
lat
por
Extent
circa 60,000 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Folger collection includes about 60,000 manuscripts from the 15th to the 21st century, most of them dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. These manuscripts cover a wide range of themes and typologies but are particularly related to theatre and literary matters.
A manuscript codex (Ms. V.a.123) containing a miscellany of writings, mainly compiled by Alessandro Sardin circa 1575, includes a collection of Latin poems by Diogo Pires (1517-1599), ten of them unique, without any other copy known so far (fols. 227-313v). Pires was a Portuguese Jewish poet who lived in Antwerp, Leuven, Ferrara, Ancona and London before settling in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik). Leuker (2015) identified the 28 poems that compose this collection and transcribed one of them about a voyage to London that Pires dedicated to the brothers Bernardo and João Micas. Copies of some of these poems can be found in an 18th-century manuscript codex in the Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea (Manoscritti di Classe I).
A manuscript codex (Ms. V.a.123) containing a miscellany of writings, mainly compiled by Alessandro Sardin circa 1575, includes a collection of Latin poems by Diogo Pires (1517-1599), ten of them unique, without any other copy known so far (fols. 227-313v). Pires was a Portuguese Jewish poet who lived in Antwerp, Leuven, Ferrara, Ancona and London before settling in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik). Leuker (2015) identified the 28 poems that compose this collection and transcribed one of them about a voyage to London that Pires dedicated to the brothers Bernardo and João Micas. Copies of some of these poems can be found in an 18th-century manuscript codex in the Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea (Manoscritti di Classe I).
Archival history
The Folger collection began in 1889 with Henry Folger's first purchase of a rare book: a copy of the 1685 Fourth Folio of the plays. Folger and his wife Emily Jordan Folger spent decades gathering the world's largest Shakespeare collection, broadly defined to include Shakespeare's era as well. When the complete collection was transported to the Folger Shakespeare Library before the library's 1932 opening, it came to 200,000 items in 2,109 packing cases.
In 1938, the library gained new strength in English printed books with the purchase of most of the private library of the late Sir Leicester Harmsworth, which came to about 10,000 books, including small, later purchases from the estate. After the war, from 1948 to 1968, Folger Director Louis B. Wright added substantial materials from the Renaissance in Europe, acquiring 22,000 continental books and 19,000 more English books. That growth continues to this day, with new acquisitions which build on the collection's existing strengths.
In 1938, the library gained new strength in English printed books with the purchase of most of the private library of the late Sir Leicester Harmsworth, which came to about 10,000 books, including small, later purchases from the estate. After the war, from 1948 to 1968, Folger Director Louis B. Wright added substantial materials from the Renaissance in Europe, acquiring 22,000 continental books and 19,000 more English books. That growth continues to this day, with new acquisitions which build on the collection's existing strengths.
Administrative / Biographical history
Folger Shakespeare Library was founded in 1932 in Washington, D.C., after Henry Clay Folder (1857-1930), chairman of the Standard Oil Company of New York, bequeathed his Shakespeare collection to the American people and left his fortune in trust, with Amherst College as administrator, to establish a library to house this collection, maintaining it and expanding its holdings. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret (1876-1945). Sculptor John Gregory (1879-1958) created the nine street-level bas-reliefs of scenes from Shakespeare's plays on the white marble exterior.
Joseph Quincy Adams, Jr. was the first director of the Library, designated in 1940. The fellowship program had begun even earlier, with the first fellowships distributed already in 1936. During World War II, part of the Folger collection was transferred to Amherst College's Converse Library and remained stored there until the end of the conflict to prevent any loss in the event of an attack on Washington, D.C. In the 1960s, the Library initiated its regular exhibition programs. In the following decade, under the leadership of director O.B. Hardinson, the Folger Poetry Series began, and the Folger Theatre Group and the music ensemble Folger Consort initiated their performances. Hardinson also created the Folger Institute to coordinate academic and research programs at the Library.
At present, Folger Library comprises more than 240,000 books and manuscripts and is the home of the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works; it also holds 90,000 prints, drawings, photographs, and paintings; some 250,000 playbills; and assorted films, recordings, musical instruments, costumes, and theatrical memorabilia. The Library also provides various programs for advanced scholars, faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates, as well as diversified cultural and arts programs.
Joseph Quincy Adams, Jr. was the first director of the Library, designated in 1940. The fellowship program had begun even earlier, with the first fellowships distributed already in 1936. During World War II, part of the Folger collection was transferred to Amherst College's Converse Library and remained stored there until the end of the conflict to prevent any loss in the event of an attack on Washington, D.C. In the 1960s, the Library initiated its regular exhibition programs. In the following decade, under the leadership of director O.B. Hardinson, the Folger Poetry Series began, and the Folger Theatre Group and the music ensemble Folger Consort initiated their performances. Hardinson also created the Folger Institute to coordinate academic and research programs at the Library.
At present, Folger Library comprises more than 240,000 books and manuscripts and is the home of the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works; it also holds 90,000 prints, drawings, photographs, and paintings; some 250,000 playbills; and assorted films, recordings, musical instruments, costumes, and theatrical memorabilia. The Library also provides various programs for advanced scholars, faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates, as well as diversified cultural and arts programs.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Links to finding aids
Existence and location of copies
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Manoscritti di Classe I | Existence and location of originals |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Folger Shakespeare Library | Collections (official language of the state) |