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ON VIEW
The Bard in the Big Easy
With a first edition of Shakespeare’s works on view at Tulane University, THNOC draws connections between the playwright and New Orleans.
EXHIBITION
“Merry as the Day Is Long”: Shakespeare’s Hand in New Orleans
May 3-june 4, 2016
Williams Research Center,
410 Chartres Street
Free
A.	A Midsummer Night's Dream float design for 1879 Momus parade
ca. 1878; watercolor painting by Charles Briton 795S.77.12
April 23, 2016, marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, the most famous writer in the history of the English language. To commemorate this event, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, has assembled a traveling exhibition of the Bard’s first printed collection of works, known as the First Folio. The exhibition will visit all 50 states, with the Newcomb Gallery at Tulane University to represent Louisiana. As Newcomb hosts the First Folio May 9-31, THNOC is proud to show support for this wonderful cultural opportunity by presenting “Merry as the Day Is Long”: Shakespeare’s Hand in New Orleans, a small-scale exhibition at the Williams Research Center examining the lasting influence of Shakespeare’s life and work in New Orleans.
The First Folio, printed as Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies in 1623, just seven years after the playwright’s death, is the first complete edition of his work. Compiled by two of Shakespeare’s fellow actors, John Heminge and Henry Condell, it preserves 36 of Shakespeare’s plays, including 18 that had never been published before. Without the First Folio, plays such as Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and Antony and Cleopatra might have been lost. Considered one of the most valuable printed books in the world, it is believed that the first print run produced 750 copies, of which 233 are known to survive today. The Folger Shakespeare Library owns 82 copies, by far the largest collection in the world.
In the 19th century, the growing English-speaking population of the city was establishing itself alongside the deeply entrenched French and Creole communities. One way of championing Anglo identity was through the performing arts, specifically by showcasing the work of the greatest known practitioner of the English language. Two different theaters
4 The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly