DATES
September 30, 2003 - January 17, 2004

LOCATION
The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago 60610

SIGNIFICANCE
Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend will be the largest and most comprehensive exhibit about Queen Elizabeth mounted in North America in the 400th anniversary year of her death. A photo-panel exhibit produced by the American Library Association, an illustrated catalog, and a Web-based exhibit with interactive features will complement the gallery display and expose a wider audience to the exhibit.

ON DISPLAY
The exhibit will include over 100 rare books, manuscripts, paintings, maps, and artifacts. The exhibit, primarily drawing on the Newberry's renowned Renaissance collections, will include significant loans from the British Library, the libraries at the University of Kansas and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and several distinguished private collections.

FEATURED ITEMS

• Elizabeth's birth announcement, Sept. 7, 1533
• Two vivid oil portraits of Elizabeth, from c. 1566 and c. 1580-1583
• Speeches Elizabeth wrote and delivered to Parliament concerning marriage, in 1563 and 1567, and Mary Queen of Scots, in 1586
• Pamphlet proclaiming the English victory over the Spanish Armada
• Rare and beautiful maps of England, Ireland, and America in the sixteenth century
• Handwritten letters between Elizabeth and James VI of Scotland concerning the execution of his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, and his claim to the English throne
• A 40-foot drawing of Elizabeth's funeral procession, complete with names and likenesses of notable people in attendance

ADMISSION
Admission is free. For more information, call (312) 255-3691.
Galleries are open Monday, Friday, Saturday from 8:15 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, from 8:15 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, promoting excellence in the humanities.

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