Portraits of Shakespeare, and On the Sonnets of Shakespeare

From his funerary monument in Stratford-upon-Avon to the engraving by Droeshout in the First Folio, the depictions of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) have long been the subject of scrutiny. Equally, the mystery surrounding the identity of ‘W. H.’, the dedicatee of Shakespeare’s sonnets, continues to capture the imagination. This volume brings together three works that were originally published separately: two pieces on the portraits and one on the sonnets. A playwright turned theatrical biographer, James Boaden (1762-1839) cultivated a lifelong interest in Shakespeare. His illustrated 1824 analysis of the portraits examines the evidence concerning their authenticity. This is followed by an 1827 investigation by the portrait painter Abraham Wivell (1786-1849), who engages critically with Boaden’s findings and those of others. Finally, Boaden’s 1837 essay on the sonnets presents the case for naming William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, as their dedicatee - a claim taken up by many later scholars.