Searching for Shakespeare at Yale

Beginning June 23, the Yale Center for British Art will be the only U.S. venue for the extraordinary international exhibition, "."

What England’s most famous poet and playwright actually looked like has been a matter of interest for more than two hundred years. Surprisingly, no portrait of William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is known to have been created during his lifetime. This exhibition brings together in this country for the first time a group of contender portraits purporting to depict the playwright. The display also includes portraits of Shakespeare’s contemporaries and patrons, original documents relating to his life, his Last Will and Testament (which has never before travelled to the U.S.), first editions of his plays and poetry, rare Elizabethan theatrical costumes, and a scale model of the Globe Theatre.


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