Location: 201 E Capitol St SE, Washington, DC 20003
Overall rating: 6/10
Ghost rating: 4/10
Would I visit again? When Quill & Crumb opens or if I see a show, definitely. Otherwise, I'm kind of tapped out on the exhibits.
Freebies: Exhibit booklet, paper folding activity, brochure/map, and little book pamphlets
Price: It's donate what you can (suggested at $15). You typically want to reserve passes online beforehand.
The site really gets its start in the late 1800s when Standard Oil of New York executive and nerd Henry Clay Folger purchases his first Fourth Folio. After World War I, he and his wife decided to found a library based on their Shakespeare collection (they didn't know about World War II). They chose a space near the Library of Congress (where the Library was actually supposed to expand to) and in 1928, Congress approved the making of the Folger.
The building is designed in a Tudor style and contains several sculpture nods to Shakespeare plays, including Henry IV, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and more.
Folger was alive during the start of construction in 1930, but he died soon after. Unfortunately, the Great Depression happened and there was some uncertainty that the library could actually open. But his wife supplied the extra funds and the library opened in 1932. The Reading Room opened in 1933 to aid scholars (a more modern Reading Room was completed in 1982). The style of the original was meant to feel like a mix of home and the Great Hall of an English college. (RIP Folger, you would've loved Harry Potter.)
Emily Folger (his wife) died in 1936 and Amherst College took over, since that was Folger's alma mater. (It is very strange to think that I could die and the College of William & Mary could get my Funko pop collection.) Unfortunately, World War II started again and much of the collection had to be transported back to Amherst in case of an attack on DC. The first real exhibitions didn't start until the '60s.
An Elizabethan Theatre was always a part of the plan, but it wasn't actually initially intended for theatre itself. It was meant for concert performances, academic lectures, and to give visitors an understanding of theaters in this era. It was originally based on a few different models but ultimately, they were too hard to reproduce. Therefore, the Folgers opted for a more generic Elizabethan era theater. The Folger held its first theatrical performance in 1949 with Julius Caesar. It didn't become a full theatre company until 1970 when the theater became compliant with fire safety laws.
Today, the Folger boasts the world's largest collection of Shakespeare-related material. It has the most First Folios in any collection (82 copies out of 235 known copies). Beyond Shakespeare, it also has the world's third largest collection of English books printed before 1641.
The Folger closed back in March 2020 (got in right before COVID) and only reopened in June of this year. They focused on accessibility and exhibitions, adding two new exposition halls.
I had originally intended to attend the grand opening, but it fell on the summer solstice when the Smithsonian is a little crazy, and I was just burnt out. But it was fun to return. It's a great spot if you're doing a bit of a tour of both the Library of Congress and Folger, since they're right next to each other. Both don't have too much to do so they're good to push together. I haven't been back since middle school when my school had the opportunity to perform a Shakespeare play here as part of an educational Shakespeare program. I actually got a little teary-eyed coming back into the space! It was such a great experience and I remember having a lot of fun.
LIKES:
- Modernity: It's maybe silly to comment on the modernity of a museum based on one of the most renowned old-guy poets. But although I don't remember seeing the museum (or if they had one) last time I was here, the space definitely has been updated to modern clientele. There's a focus on POC representation in Shakespeare plays, as well as a modern sense of humor that hits a little harder than Willy's alleged comedies. For example, the first part of the exhibit opens up with "Who was Shakespeare? A hero? An icon? The name on a book you never wanted to open?" In this way, Folger doesn't pretend to just be here for the fanatics. It's also for those with a more complicated history with Shakespeare.
- Historic Books: While I thought it was cool to see the First Folios (the first published versions of collections of Shakespeare's work, published seven years after his death), there's not too much you can really see because they're so old and fragile. Yes, there's a screen so that you can study each more but if the place is busy or you're lacking an attention-span, it's not super exciting. I actually prefer the website coverage of these over what I saw in person. So, even though Folger has the largest collection, it doesn't feel as exciting when you're in the room. BUT what I did find super cool was the Imprints in Time exhibit. I had the misconception that Folger only does Shakespeare, which, yes, that is the main thing. But they are also a library of more than just Shakespeare. For example, they have an Egyptian Book of the Dead (very Brendan Fraser) from 600 BC. They have a first edition copy of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, specifically the copy that he inscribed to George Eliot. They have a first trade edition copy of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh inscribed to his son, Moonest Moon; they have a first edition of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, signed "Jerry;" they have galley proofs of The Lord of the Rings with notes from editors and Tolkien himself. And so much more! And obviously, I've seen old books before in Strand, Second Story, etc. but I haven't seen such rare books. These go beyond just seeing first editions. A lot of these are inscribed by incredibly talented authors and they're showcased in a way that you get to see that. I think that's truly special, definitely at least on the same level as the British Museum.
- Stage Time: Keep in mind that I went on a random afternoon so I'm not sure what the space is like all the time. But at least when I went, you could go into the actual theater part, walk around, take pictures, etc. They just asked you to not go onstage (although parents were forcing their kids to do so.) It definitely brought me back to performing here in middle school. It's a really beautiful theater that's meant to evoke an Elizabethan inn, and I think it does that. As someone who has been to the Globe, I do think it's reminiscent of that vibe. Although I didn't see any opportunities when I went, I do hope they provide tours of the space because this is one of the coolest stages I've worked with. It has so many interesting entrances and exits.
DISLIKES:
- Not too much to see: Someone online said that you needed 2-4 hours to get through the museum. I would 100% disagree. It only took me like an hour. The museum is really just two rooms: the Shakespeare exhibit and the old book collection. And the Shakespeare exhibit is cool but y'know, it's not the Globe, it's not Stratford-upon-Avon, so they don't have ALL THAT MUCH to showcase. The exhibit is more on the interpretation of Shakespeare, as well as what art came out at the same time, what he would be inspired by, etc. The other part of the exhibit is just about Folger's old productions. It's fine, but it's not the most exciting. That also might be because I'm not super theater-oriented. And then part of the old book collection is just about how Folger got its start, how things are transcribed, how they are repaired, etc. Upstairs, you can look around at the theater and the Great Hall but other than that, there's not much. Without a research ID, you can't get into the main reading room. And the cafe, Quill & Crumb, isn't open yet (even though it was open for the grand re-opening! I missed it!). Folger is trying to advertise that Great Hall space as being a space for people to take their lunch, but it's not really catching on.
- Confusing exhibition structure: I saw some of the same issues I saw at the Library of Congress in regards to the staging of some of these materials, especially in the old book exhibit. There didn't feel like there was necessarily always an organizing structure in how displays were laid out. It didn't appear to be by date, type, etc. so you had some strange displays where like Winnie the Pooh was displayed right above the Qur'an for some strange reason.
- Deserted?: There weren't many people at all, so it kind of felt weird to go through the exhibit. But more so, there felt like there were barely any interpreters. There was one woman coming around and checking if anyone had any questions, but she had to bounce in between these two rooms. Some of the activities like the printing press felt like there SHOULD be someone running it but it was just deserted.
- Not the most engaging: They had some pretty lackluster activities if I'm going to be extra nitpicky. And not every museum needs an activity, but it felt like Folger was vying for that same prominence and they just missed the mark. For kids, at least there was some kind of scavenger hunt. For everyone else, you could practice setting type, which was kind of cool. But it was a digital printing press vs. the real one that seemed functional and SEEMED like someone was supposed to be running it. Then, you could also build a Shakespeare scene via an interactive display but that required a partner so I didn't get super far with it. The funniest moment for me was the section on folios, quartos, and octavos. The only way they thought to explain this concept of book sizes was just providing paper and allowing you to fold a sheet of paper either bigger or smaller depending on which size you were aiming for. And then... do nothing with it. Now, you just have a folded piece of paper. I just feel like we had an opportunity here to do something really cool, but it missed the mark.
NOT TO BE MISSED:
- Overall architecture: Even if there's not much to see, the second floor is filled with gorgeous architecture, trying to take on that classic English style. The outside garden also has some nice Shakespeare-inspired statues, like there's a big aluminum Puck!
- Exhibition book: I always go back and forth on exhibition books. I've found that more and more museums are doing them. On one hand, it's a lot of paper. On the other hand, I am a hoarder. And sometimes, I'm just like not feeling the museum as much, I'm not feeling like reading, I'm spacing out. So, to have the exhibition book to go back to and contextualize some of the things I saw and photographed, it can be helpful in making me feel like I didn't miss out on the entire experience.
- Free Events: I do admire the free programming Folger does to engage with the community. This month, they have a book club, a youth poetry workshop, a queer culture night, a Taylor Swift mixology and trivia night, a dance workshop, and more.
- Free roam of the space: The Great Hall is empty now with seating so it's a good place to hang out. I think that's what they are intending to happen. It hasn't caught on yet, but it definitely is a cool place to stroll around in your free time for a good place to read and drink coffee. It's not necessarily the easiest to get into because you need a pass, but I could see it being a chill spot.
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