Imagining Shakespeare at Folger Shakespeare Library

One of Washington, D.C.’s most magnificent cultural institutions is also one often overlooked by many visitors. Nestled on a corner of Capitol Hill, just behind the Library of Congress Jefferson Building and near the Capitol and the Supreme Court, the Folger Shakespeare Library holds one of the world’s largest collections of Shakespeareana and other artifacts from his era. Comprising original manuscripts and printed copies of the Bard’s plays and other writings, numerous works of art, and a vast research library, the institution founded in 1932 by businessman Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily Jordan Folger as a gift to the American people carries on its mission today to make Shakespeare and his times accessible to all and to provide a haven for scholars, artists, and writers who wish to study the great poet.

The Folger also contains a small theater which presents plays, both by Shakespeare himself and others inspired by or drawing from his work. In addition, it supports living poets by hosting a poetry series featuring fine poets both established and aspiring. And further, it houses a museum in which visitors can view Shakespearean treasures such as books, printed broadsides, drawings and engravings, costumes, and even a hand-operated printing press, plus a selection of paintings representing aspects of Shakespeare’s plays and his life.

A particular set of these paintings is currently on display. "Imagining Shakespeare" presents the Library’s fourteen paintings that originally resided in London’s Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. This institution, founded in 1789 by John Boydell, an engraver and printmaker, and his nephew Joshua Boydell, was the first public art gallery established in Europe. Starting with 34 Shakespeare paintings, from more than 21 Shakespeare plays, by 1802 there were more than 160 pieces of art in the gallery.

Thanks to the good offices of Colleen Kennedy, Senior Communications Manager for the Folger, I was able to speak with Erin Blake, former Curator of Art and current Systems Manager and Senior Cataloger, to learn more about this fascinating exhibition and the story of the Boydell Gallery.

GL: Tell us a little about yourself—your academic and professional background, and how you came to the Folger.

EB: I’ve worked in libraries since my first part-time job in tenth grade. I’ve always loved libraries and history. When I went to college, I became interested in art history—history applied to real objects. I went on to earn my PhD in art history from Stanford in 2000. My PhD research focused on eighteenth-century British printmaking.

While I was working on my doctorate, I realized that what I truly loved was library work: helping people with research, organizing information, and making it accessible. Then, just as I finished my PhD, the Folger Shakespeare Library posted a position for a Curator of Art. It was perfect for me.

At that time, the main goal of the curator position was to bring the Folger’s art collection—primarily prints, along with photographs and paintings—into the online catalog and make it better known. The collection had only been partially cataloged on cards. I loved that work.

As the curatorial roles evolved to focus more on traditional curatorship—developing the collection, working with donors—I shifted to continue working with systems and collection management. My current title is Collections Management Systems Administrator and Cataloger. But when people ask what I do, I usually just say I’m a librarian at the Folger. It’s simpler.

GL: What specifically inspired your work on this exhibit? Was it assigned to you, or did you think it would make a great display and propose it yourself?

EB: The idea originated with the larger exhibitions team and the library’s director. There was interest in creating an exhibition focused on paintings. They approached me because I’m so familiar with the Folger’s art collection—especially the paintings. When we were packing everything to go off-site, I handled the inventory and oversaw the packing and storage, including all the paintings.

So when they asked whether I’d be interested in curating the exhibition, I volunteered. While we were closed, we acquired two additional paintings from the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery—the Taming of the Shrew pieces. It was the perfect opportunity to bring together all of the Folger’s Boydell paintings in one place for the first time since 1805.

GL: What can you tell us about the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery? I’ll fold a few related questions together: Who was John Boydell? And Colleen mentioned that the gallery was the first public art gallery in London—or in England? Or was it even broader than that?

EB: It was one of the first public art galleries anywhere—certainly one of the earliest permanent exhibition spaces devoted entirely to art.

GL: And it focused exclusively on Shakespeare?

EB: Yes. The idea to make it Shakespeare-specific came from John Boydell himself. He was a major print publisher—a very successful businessman. Born in 1720, he had become well known by the 1760s. He wanted to expand the market for fine-art engravings of paintings.

He and several friends developed the idea of commissioning leading British artists to create paintings based on scenes from Shakespeare. These paintings would then be engraved for a series of prints and for a multi-volume illustrated edition of Shakespeare. They sold subscriptions to both the sets of prints and the illustrated edition, which was released in parts.

As an added feature, they created an art gallery dedicated to Shakespeare—a place anyone could visit simply by paying an admission fee. You didn’t need to know someone with a private collection or wait for a temporary Royal Academy exhibition. It was a permanent space where the public could view the paintings. Subscribers to the prints or the Shakespeare edition received free admission.

The idea for the exhibit came from the larger exhibitions team and the library’s director and librarian, who were interested in presenting a show focused on paintings. They approached me because I’m very familiar with the Folger’s art collection—especially the paintings—and I had overseen the inventory and off-site packing of the collection during the renovation. I volunteered to curate the exhibition, especially since we had recently acquired two additional paintings from the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery—both from The Taming of the Shrew. It felt like the perfect opportunity to reunite all of the Folger’s Boydell paintings in one space for the first time since 1805.

The concept came from John Boydell himself. Boydell was a major print publisher—an important figure in British printmaking beginning in the mid-18th century. He wanted to expand the market for fine-art engravings, and he and several colleagues conceived a plan: they would commission leading British artists to paint scenes from Shakespeare, have those works engraved, publish a lavish illustrated edition of Shakespeare, and sell subscriptions to both the edition and the sets of prints. The gallery was an added feature—an exhibition space where anyone could view the paintings for an admission fee.

Admission was free for art students, to encourage the arts by giving young artists the chance to study and sketch the works. The gallery became a fashionable place to visit. We don’t know the exact admission price, only that there was one. The gallery itself was never meant to be the primary source of profit; the business model depended on selling prints and subscriptions, and on generating broader interest in British engraving. In that regard, Boydell absolutely succeeded—British printmakers gained an excellent reputation in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

What didn’t work was the international market. Boydell had expected to sell prints and editions throughout Europe and the Americas, but the gallery opened in 1789—the year of the French Revolution—and the ensuing conflicts, culminating in the Napoleonic Wars, collapsed overseas demand. The Boydell firm eventually went bankrupt in 1803.

The gallery remained open for a time afterward. To emerge from bankruptcy, the company petitioned Parliament for permission to hold a fundraising lottery. Every ticket—priced at three guineas—was guaranteed to win something, even if only a set of prints. The grand prize was the entire painting collection and the gallery building itself. John Boydell lived long enough to see the lottery approved in 1804, though he died before the drawing. When the drawing was finally held in January 1805, the winner chose to sell rather than keep the collection intact. Christie’s was brought in to auction the paintings, and the gallery’s final catalogue was issued under their name. The paintings were dispersed, mostly into private collections, and have been scattered ever since.

Today, the Folger’s 14 paintings constitute the largest surviving group of Boydell Shakespeare Gallery works anywhere—14 out of what eventually grew to 173. Many paintings have disappeared; others survive only in fragments, especially the monumental canvases that were too large for private homes and were cut down over the centuries. The Wikipedia article on the Boydell paintings is helpful, though it requires care—people sometimes add images of copies rather than originals. I update the list whenever a painting’s location becomes known.

GL: One painting I found particularly striking is the “Infant Shakespeare”—how much it resembles a Renaissance Nativity.

EB: That painting portrays Shakespeare as a native-born genius, surrounded by allegorical figures. Boydell’s gallery had shown a different infant-Shakespeare work earlier, but the Folger’s painting emphasizes Shakespeare’s innate brilliance. The idea of Shakespeare as the great English writer—rather than simply one among several—developed strongly in the 18th century, especially through David Garrick’s Shakespeare Jubilee and the rise of what’s often called “Bardolatry.”

We tend to think of Shakespeare as towering over his own age, but the 18th and early 19th centuries played a pivotal role in elevating him to a near-mythic status. Garrick, Boydell, and others helped create that cultural moment. Shakespeare and Milton were often paired—there were even porcelain mantelpiece figurines of the two—though Shakespeare’s universality, psychological depth, and the dual life of his work (on stage and on the page) may explain why he ultimately overshadowed Milton .

One notable aspect of the Boydell paintings is that they depict the imagined world of the plays—not stage productions. Boydell was adamant that these artworks should illustrate Shakespeare’s stories as if they were real events. Some scenes don’t even occur onstage; they are moments described within the plays but not performed. That’s part of why the Folger exhibition is titled Imagining Shakespeare.

Imagining Shakespeare runs through August 26, 2026. If you are planning a trip to Washington within that time, you would do well to schedule a visit to the Folger and take in this remarkable exhibition, along with the numerous other treasures on display. Even if you can’t make it to this show, including the Folger in your itinerary is an excellent idea. Admission is free and there are attractions that will appeal to the entire family.