Shakespeare Found

by Kathryn Hadley

'Shakespeare Found' opens today at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon. The exhibition features the Cobbe portrait, which was discovered just last month and is believed to be the only lifetime portrait of the playwright, allegedly painted in 1610, six years before Shakespeare’s death. Featuring other portraits that have rarely been on public display, the exhibition presents various arguments for the identification of the Cobbe portrait and explores Shakespeare’s posthumous reputation. The display notably includes one of the two only other portraits considered to be authentic representations of what the bard may have looked like: the brass engraving by Martin Droeshout published in the First Folio, the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623.
The opening of the exhibition also marks the beginning of four days of celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon to mark the 445th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. Celebratory events notably include theatre performances, lectures, processions, the Stratford Poetry Festival and Stratford Literary Festival.

For more information, visit http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/

For further information on the debates surrounding Shakespeare's true identity, read our articles Who Was Shakespeare? and Mystery Identities

Shakespeare Found
April 23rd – September 6th
Shakespeare’s Birthplace
Henley Street
Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6QW
Telephone: 01789 204016
http://www.shakespearefound.org.uk/