Luna digital image collection
The Folger's Digital image collection on LUNA offers online access to over 100,000 images from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection, including books, theater memorabilia, manuscripts, art, and more. Images are available in high resolution and users can show multiple images side-by-side, zoom in and out to see fine detail, view cataloging information when available, export images, and construct permanent URLs linking back to their favorite items or searches.
About the collection
You may use your web browser to access the collection through a convenient interface called LUNA.
Through the Digital image collection you can:
- Compare 19th-century productions of Shakespeare with today's through historic photographs and promptbooks
- Look at letters written by Queen Elizabeth I
- Examine rare paintings in "up close and personal" detail
- Read diary entries from over 200 years ago
- And much more
We are always adding new images—visit New in LUNA frequently to see our latest uploads.
Copyright and Creative Commons License CC BY-SA 4.0
A small number of items in the digital image collection are under copyright. In those cases, there is typically a 'Copyright information' field on the image page that lists the copyright holder. We cannot grant permission for the reuse of those images; only the copyright holder can do so. In general, if there is a digital image of a publication, photograph, or other item that was originally produced in the 20th century or later, you should check with us about copyright. Please contact photo@folger.edu.
With the exception of the items under copyright, the Folger Shakespeare Library makes everything else in the digital image collection available under the Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 4.0. This allows for the reuse of these items provided that the Folger Shakespeare Library is cited as the source and anything created with the content is also shared under the same or equivalent license. If you wish to use digital image in a way that does not conform to the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, please fill out the permission request form. Information on how to cite the Folger is available on the permissions page.
Exporting images
At the upper right of each image, there is an 'export' button. This allows the user to download the image in a variety of sizes. The largest size available depends on the size of the original image. Some images are available in 'Extra-extra large' size, but some only go up to size 'Large'.
Images that are under copyright are only available in thumbnail download sizes. Larger sizes are available; please visit our Images and permissions page for more information.
Each image is delivered as a .zip file that contains both the image and a .txt file that contains the image metadata in plain text.
- To open a zip file on Windows, right-click on the file and select Extract All. Select where you want your extracted files to be saved, and click Extract. A new folder containing the image and text file will appear in the location you selected.
- To open a zip files on macOS, double-click on the zip file. The folder containing the image file and text file will appear next to the zip file.
Bulk exporting images
In order to export multiple images at once, the images will first have to be gathered into a media group. There is information on creating media groups below. Once the images are in a media group, there will be an export link at the top of the media group. This will export all the images contained in the group.
Note that large images and large groups of images can take awhile to download.
Features
The Folger digital image collection contains high resolution images requested for research, publication, and the web. Also included are items chosen for digitization by Curators, Conservators, and Reading Room Staff; or created for special projects, e.g., pre-1640 quarto editions of Shakespeare.
Some images are accompanied by Hamnet descriptions of the entire item, but in most cases only abbreviated information exists.
Included Features
- The ability to create a shortened URL for sharing content (zoomable images, search results, slideshows, etc.) with standard tools like Facebook, Twitter, Google, Delicious, etc. For example, follow this durable URL to a zoomable version of a Hamlet title page. Zoom in and read the full inscription about Shakespeare, copied in a late seventeenth-century hand from a book by Dryden. Or, follow this link to retrieve Hamlet-related search results images in your browser. Learn more about linking and embedding in LUNA here.
- The ability to create a "Web Widget" to embed into other applications your search results, slideshows, presentations or other LUNA views. This feature is available in LUNA. Refer to the link above to learn more about linking and embedding in LUNA.
- Register an online user ID in LUNA. You can save multiple sets of images for later reference, along with private annotations you can make about the images you've selected. Follow this link for more about LUNA Registration and User Settings.
- Access images in our Quartos and other cover-to-cover, page-by-page collections, which include digitized copies of 218 of the Folger Shakespeare Library's pre-1640 Shakespeare texts, including poems, plays, and "apocryphal" editions now known to have been written by someone else.
- The ability to create and save groups of images for later reference. Follow this link for more on creating "Media Groups" in LUNA.
Fields
Basic keyword searching may be the best place for you to start searching the Folger digital image collection, for two reasons. First, a basic keyword search will find terms anywhere within whatever information accompanies an image. Second, our image databases are very much works in progress and some fields therefore are empty at the moment. To learn more about browsing and searching by keyword, refer to "Quick tips" below.
But use of the Advanced search feature can also be helpful in many cases, e.g. when searching for known items or when creating a persistent hyperlink for a specific subject, name, or boolean keyword search. This list of database fields is intended to help with Advanced searches, and with testing your Advanced search results. To learn more about these types of advanced searches, refer to "Digital Image Collection how-tos" below.
Image details
IMPORTANT: The "Image details" fields are mostly still empty. That is, even though they show up in the "search" drop-down menu, they contain no data, so a search will not produce results.
- Image title: a brief description of the image.
- Image producer name(s): where available, names of those associated with creation of the image (e.g., artists and engravers).
- Transcribed information: transcription of printed or engraved captioning or title or title-like information.
- Image details: may include details about cropping, exact location within a larger work, etc.
- Image subject term(s): subject indexing of cultural and conceptual illustrative content.
- Image IconClass number(s): iconographic classification codes (combinations of numbers and letters) assigned from the IconClass index.
- Image bibliographical reference(s): citations to relevant reference works.
- Image order: provides details about the order of appearance, when multiple images occur within a larger work.
- Page height: a measurement in millimeters.
- Page width: a measurement in millimeters.
- Event title: a brief description of a Folger event where the photo was taken.
- Event date: the date of a Folger event where the photo was taken.
Source details and administrative metadata
- Source creator: an author or other personal or corporate name associated with creation of the source in which the image appears.
- Source title: title of the source in which the image appears.
- Source created or published: imprint -- or sometimes date only -- of the source in which the image appears.
- Physical description: details of pagination / foliation, and/or extent of illustration, and/or height in centimeters of the source in which the image appears.
- Copyright information: may contain rights information crediting individual photographers.
- Source call number: the designated shelf location for the the source in which the image appears.
- Digital image file name: a unique numeric ID for the image file.
- Digital image type: a field containing one of four possible values: FSL building, FLS collection, FSL event, or Theatre production.
- Hamnet catalog link: a hyperlink to the Hamnet bibliographic description (when available).
- ESTC catalog link: a hyperlink to the English Short Title Catalog bibliographic description (when available).
- Hamnet bib ID: a unique numeric ID for a relevant Hamnet bibliographic description.
- Hamnet holdings ID: a unique numeric ID for a relevant Hamnet copy-specific description.
- Multiple page sort order: a non-displaying field that can be used in post-search sorting. Primarily used in sorting image sets for bound items digitized cover-to-cover.
Hamnet catalog record
Some images in the Folger digital image collection are accompanied only by abbreviated data records, with fields of the sort described above. However, other image descriptions are supplemented with bibliographic data pulled in from Hamnet.
Some of these Hamnet records may provide additional details that do not appear in "Image" or "Source" fields. Other Hamnet records may describe an entire source item, but may not fully describe the specific portion photographed.
The following fields from Hamnet records may appear in the LUNA digital image database descriptions:
- Creator
- Uniform title
- Title
- Alt. title
- Edition
- Place of creation or publ.
- Creator or publisher
- Date of creation or publ.
- Physical description
- Folger holdings notes
- Notes
- Citations
- Subject
- Associated name
- In
- Call number
Quick tips
The following tips and suggestions can help you get the results you are looking for when browsing the Digital Collection.
Some images are accompanied by Hamnet records which describe the entire item, not the specific portion photographed. In many cases only abbreviated data records are provided. Thumbnail browsing can be a great way to explore our content without having to enter search terms. In LUNA, you have the option of browsing through up to 250 thumbnails at a time. You can also narrow any browse or search results by selecting a What, Where, Who or When Category from the "Narrow Search" lists displayed on each screen of thumbnails. Follow this link for more about browsing in LUNA on the web.
Searching by Keyword in LUNA
A search by keyword is often the best place to start. A keyword search finds terms anywhere within the information that accompanies an image. Keyword Search in LUNA works much like in a search engine, so you can use the AND, OR, NOT, and " " to help refine your search. You can also use wildcard characters like "*" and "?". For example, enter "Par*" for results like Paris, Parigi, Paraguay, etc. Enter "Rom?" for search results like Rome and Roma.
What to do if your search isn't working
If your search does not appear to be working, try clearing your browser’s cache and cookies.
If you continue to have trouble after clearing your cache, contact Luna Help.
Digital Image Collection how-tos
Here are instructions and examples of how to create permanent links to images or searches, how to find known items, and how to get into our page-by-page pre-1640 Shakespeare quartos.
Creating permalinks to one or more selected images or to a search
At any point while in LUNA you can click on the "Share This" link and copy the displayed URL. This shortened permalink URL can be pasted into an email, text document or instant message so you can share your work with others. This is not the same as copying the URL from the browser. The "Share This" URL will ensure that the exact placement, zooming, and general look of your current view are preserved.
- Here's an example that will let you zoom in on the map at the top of this page.
- Here's an example that will retrieve all items with the keyword "map."
Searching for known items
In many cases only abbreviated data records are provided. So a very useful LUNA search to know how to do is to search by call number:
- Choose Advanced Search in LUNA
- Use the third set of search boxes, the one that provides find this exact wording:
- Then choose Source Call Number from the field dropdown
- When you begin typing the call number you'll get a dropdown showing you the available items in the call number range you are searching. Click the call number you want.
Searching for images of the Folger building
The main Folger Shakespeare Library building was designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. A variety of Virtual Tour features on this website let you take a closer look, but the image database also includes over 100 images of the building. To browse these shots of the architecture and grounds:
- Choose Advanced Search in LUNA
- Use the third set of search boxes, the one that provides find this exact wording:
- Then choose Digital Image Type from the field dropdown
- Type 'FSL building' and click the search button.
Accessing page-by-page views of books in the Folger collection
Check out Folger Tooltips: Cover-to-Cover for details on accessing cover-to-cover page images of early printed books and bound manuscripts from the Folger collection.
Further questions, data errors, and software problems
Consult our "How To" guides and Luna Imaging's help manuals, referenced below. Email us at photo@folger.edu.
LUNA tutorials
These brief tutorials will help you get the most out of using the Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection.
General overviews of LUNA
- General LUNA Overview (13:24) (Cannot find this link!)
- Searching LUNA (7:52)
Media groups
Creating media groups allows users to "bookmark" groups of images and is the first step in creating slide shows or presentations.
This tutorial explains how to reorder images in your Media Group, how to create an instant slide show, and how to export a Media Group to PowerPoint.
This tutorial explains how to organize your Media Groups into folders and how to edit or delete your Media Groups.
LUNA makes it very easy to share Media Groups between LUNA users. This tutorial explains how to clone (copy), create a slide show, or to export Media Groups that are publicly available.
Presentations
For more tutorials on how to search and view media in LUNA, please see the LUNA Flash Tutorials Webpage at Luna Imaging Inc.
For more assistance, see Search fields for the Bindings Image Collection.
Answers to questions and additional assistance can always also be had by contacting us at LunaHelp@folger.edu.