Costume plates brought history to life for a nineteenth-century public broadly interested in romanticized notions of antiquity. Books representing the style of dress of ancient peoples offered evocative access to a sentimental, idealized past. Although these lavish books were based on historical evidence, the artistic renderings emphasize aesthetic gesture over accuracy.

Costume of the Ancients (London, 1841)

Le Costume Historique (Paris, 1888)

Zur Geschichte der Costüme (Munich, 1895)