Shakespeare from First Folio
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This famous portrait of William Shakespeare first appeared in the First Folio of his works, published in 1623. It is an engraving by Martin Droeshout, who may never have met Shakespeare. However, the portrait must have resembled Shakespeare enough to satisfy his friends and fellow actors who assembled the First Folio. It shows a man of middle age and middle station. Only the high, bald, domed forehead hints at the vast intellectual powers concealed within.

Later centuries have sought for more glamorous images of Shakespeare, but the Droeshout engraving remains the most reliable source for the appearance of England's�and Elizabeth's�greatest poet.

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