From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited.

I'm Farah Kareem Cooper, the Folger Director.

When you visit a new city on vacation, or you have a little spare time on a business trip,

what's one of the first things you do?

If you're like me, you find the nearest

museum or gallery and immerse yourself in some art. Art museums with collections open to the

public are actually an 18th century invention. In England, one of the precursors to the art gallery

as we know it was a special display of paintings in London's Paul Mall, based on scenes from Shakespeare.

Printmaker John Boydell hatched the idea to commission paintings from leading artists and display them for the public.

Opening in 1789, Boydell's gallery helped to fashion Shakespeare into the mythic bard he is today.

The gallery became a cultural sensation and a destination for England's middle class.

The gallery ran for 15 years, with new paintings added regularly.

But when it closed in 1805, the paintings were sold off, in some cases after being cut up into smaller pieces.

Now, 14 of the remaining paintings are on display together for the first time since then.

The exhibit runs until August 2nd here at the Folger in Washington, D.C.

Joining us to talk about the significance of the Boydell Gallery are Michael Dobson,

director of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, and Rosie

Dias, Professor of Art History at the University of Warwick. Here are Michael and Rosie in conversation with Barbara Bogave.

Well, before we get to the question of how Shakespeare became Shakespeare with a capital S and how the Boydell Gallery fits into that

evolution. Why don't we go back to the beginning of the story in 1789? Who was John Boydell,

and why did he want him out an exhibit of paintings depicting Shakespeare scenes? And I'll throw that to you,

Rosie. So John Boydell was a, he was an engraver.

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