Marketing Shakespeare in the Regency Era

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC just closed an exhibit on Marketing Shakespeare in the Regency Era However, they still have a lot of informative material available online about: the Boydell Gallery, which displayed and sold engravings of famous scenes; the Shakespeare Jubilee of 1769 organized by David Garrick; the rise of British history painting focusing on Shakespeare; the popularity of actors Sarah Siddons and Charles Kemble; Boydell's competition, the Irish Shakespeare Gallery; the bankruptcy of the Boydell gallery due to the Napoleonic wars, resulting in a lottery and auction of the paintings.

"Boydell opened the Shakespeare Gallery in Pall Mall, one of London’s most sophisticated neighborhoods, in the fall social season of 1789—less than three years from the date of his advertisement. On the walls were thirty-four paintings from twenty-one plays. Since subscribers received free tickets to view the paintings, the Gallery became a fashionable place to see and be seen. By 1791 it had already grown to seventy-two paintings, the number Boydell had projected it would contain when complete. But Boydell wasn’t finished yet: by 1802 the Gallery contained more than 160 images.

I would love to find engravings of prints of some of the paintings mentioned in this article. What a wonderful tribute to this most important playwright!

In the first half of 2007, the Kennedy Center sponsored the Shakespeare in Washington festival. They still have a website up where one can explore Shakespeare via interactive timelines, maps, and more.

And while I'm on a Shakespeare kick, I must mention my favorite Shakespeare blog, Shakespeare Geek. Duane always has something interesting to post, whether its the latest literary criticism, or personal anecdotes about telling his story Shakespearean bedtime stories.

*The oil paining at top is William Hamilton's 1793 "Isabella appealing to Angelo," depicting a scene from Measure for Measure (an oft-neglected play which I am proud to say I've read, discussed in depth, and even seen performed at the Folger itself!) Image from the Folger gallery.