Shakespeare, Whales, and Coffee (sort of)

As the days remaining in D.C. dwindle down, I find myself frantically searching for time to do the things on my “DC bucket” list.  Last Sunday afternoon I took advantage of a few of those free hours and went to the Folger Shakespeare Library with Paige.  We weren’t exactly sure what to expect, but I had looked up the exhibit and thought it sounded interesting.  Besides, I still have a love of Shakespeare lingering from high school English, so I figured the visit could not be a bad idea.  Located right around the block and down the street from our accommodations at The Congressional, it was barely a five-minute walk.  Situated close to the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, one might mistake it for another government building in Washington, D.C.  Later we found out that the similarity of the building structure could be attributed to being built around the same time and the desire of Washington officials to not have strange looking buildings (as they thought the original plans for the Library were) right next to the Supreme Court and Library of Congress.

The Folger Shakespeare Library was founded in 1932 by Henry Clay Folger, who was once president and chairman of Standard Oil, to hold his personal Shakespeare collection.  Today, the library lays claim to the largest collection of Shakespearean materials, as well as other Renaissance-era books and art, which is pretty good for a city that did not exist during Shakespeare’s life.  The Library also houses a theatre that has productions of various Shakespeare plays and other theatrical endeavors.

The exhibit space is the third function of the Library.  They host changing exhibits throughout the year that tie into Shakespeare and complement their permanent collection.  The exhibit Paige and I went to see was titled, “Very Like A Whale,” which is pulled from a line in Hamlet where Hamlet and Polonius discuss the morphing cloud shapes in the sky.  The exhibit featured works from artist Rosamond Purcell that were put together with passages from Shakespeare’s  and other similar artist’s plays.  It explores how Renaissance artists were able to take the real world and, through their works, change it into a magical, mystical place.  By placing the passages next to the art, it allows the visitor to imagine what can be seen in the painting beyond the obvious.  Overall, it was a nice place to spend an hour or so, and I would certainly urge the other fellows (and future fellows) to check it out. 

Also, in case you were wondering (as I was), Henry Clay Folger was the nephew of J.A. Folger who founded Folger Coffee.   

-Katie