Treasure Troves: Folger Digital Image Collection

As the new school year gets underway, we would like to introduce a series of posts devoted to “Treasure Troves” — excellent and easily-accessible resources that will help illuminate Shakespeare’s work for students and teachers alike.

The first of these is the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Digital Image Collection, which we use regularly to illustrate our blog posts. It is a kaleidoscope of paintings, photographs, and various other renderings of Shakespeare’s works and world — simply search for the title of a play, a particular character, even a biographical / historical reference, and then delight in the results!

We especially enjoy the sketches for various costumes and sets. These offer myriad perspectives on how a given play may be brought to life, and provide discussion points for young people who will have their own image of a work in mind.

There are times when it can be difficult to see live theatre, or to find the appropriate film adaptation of a given play. But thanks to the Digital Image Collection, young people can find any number of visual aids that will bring Shakespeare’s writings to life.

Browse the Digital Image Collection here.

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