FOLGER

Washington, D.C. - January 28, 2015: A SIGABA cipher machine used by the NSA during WWII is on display at the Folger Shakespeare Library's exhibit "Decoding the Renaissance: 500 Years of Codes and Ciphers," in Washington D.C. until February 26th.

Cryptologist William Friedman was part of the WWII NSA team that made SIGABA machine. It’s similar to the German’s Enigma cipher machine — which was famously cracked by British scientist Alan Turing — but more rotors and increased randomization of their movement. The SIGABA was never broken.

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. is exhibiting a historical collection of cryptology, "Decoding the Renaissance: 500 Years of Codes and Ciphers."
The exhibit's center-piece is the mysterious Voynich manuscript, a 14th century book written in an unknown language, yet to be translated. The manuscript was long considered to be a cipher, but American codebreaker, William Friedman debunked the notion that the book is code, concluding it is written in an unknown language. Friedman, who broke Japan's Purple code in WWII, and his wife Elizabeth also dismissed Baconist conspiracy theories that Shakespeare's plays were peppered with ciphered clues that Sir Francis Bacon actually wrote the plays.

CREDIT: Matt Roth for The New York Times
Assignment ID: 30170041A

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Copyright: 2015, Matt Roth
Image Size: 7360x4912 / 15.5MB; mattrothphoto.com; BALTIMORE PHOTOGRAPHER Matt Roth photo photographer photography Folger Shakespeare Library DECODING THE RENAISSANCE EXHIBIT Voynich manuscript coding cipher cryptography William Friedman PURPLE Japanese code WWII spy
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Washington, D.C. - January 28, 2015: A SIGABA cipher machine used by the NSA during WWII is on display at the Folger Shakespeare Library's exhibit "Decoding the Renaissance: 500 Years of Codes and Ciphers," in Washington D.C. until February 26th.<br />
<br />
Cryptologist William Friedman was part of the WWII NSA team that made SIGABA machine. It’s similar to the German’s Enigma cipher machine — which was famously cracked by British scientist Alan Turing — but more rotors and increased randomization of their movement. The SIGABA was never broken. <br />
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<br />
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. is exhibiting a historical collection of cryptology, "Decoding the Renaissance: 500 Years of Codes and Ciphers."<br />
The exhibit's center-piece is the mysterious Voynich manuscript, a 14th century book written in an unknown language, yet to be translated. The manuscript was long considered to be a cipher, but American codebreaker, William Friedman debunked the notion that the book is code, concluding it is written in an unknown language. Friedman, who broke Japan's Purple code in WWII, and his wife Elizabeth also dismissed Baconist conspiracy theories that Shakespeare's plays were peppered with ciphered clues that Sir Francis Bacon actually wrote the plays. <br />
<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Matt Roth for The New York Times<br />
Assignment ID: 30170041A