period pieces
Costume drama films
Period pieces are works of art, literature, film, or theater set in a specific historical era, typically featuring authentic costumes, settings, and customs of that time: The BBC excels at period pieces set in Victorian England.
The term can also describe furniture, clothing, or objects characteristic of a particular historical period.
Something dismissed as a period piece may feel dated—interesting mainly as a product of its time rather than timeless.
Historical fiction with ornate attire
- historical dramaFiction set in past
- Downton AbbeyBritish period drama series
- BridgertonRegency-era romance series
- Pride and PrejudiceRegency courtship novel
The Crown · Mad Men · Peaky Blinders · miniseries · cinematography · set design · production design · wardrobe
Landed gentry's residence
- estateProperty and grounds
- ballroomVenue for formal dances
- drawing roomFormal reception space
- parlorFormal room for visitors
countryside · gaslight · cobblestone · carriage · servants quarters · grand staircase · townhouse · castle
Time not long past
- bygone eraPeriod no longer current
- sentimentalityExcessive tender emotion
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
- romanticizedMade more appealing than reality
golden age · sepia-toned · escapism · longing · retrospection · timeless · elegance · charm
Of a prim era
- EdwardianOf early twentieth-century Britain
- RegencyProxy rule period
- GeorgianOf four kings' era
- TudorSixteenth-century English ruling family
Medieval · Roaring Twenties · Renaissance · Elizabethan · Jazz Age · postwar · antebellum · fin de siècle
Boned waist-shaping undergarment
- crinolineStructural petticoat for volume
- bustleEnergetic noisy activity
- frock coatFitted formal outerwear
- top hatTall formal headwear
bonnets · gloves · waistcoat · petticoat · parasol · tailoring · breeches · gowns
Appearance of being factual
- fidelityLoyalty or exactness
- primary sourcesFirsthand historical evidence
- documentary evidenceWritten proof of facts
- fact-checkingConfirming accuracy of claims
meticulous · attention to detail · historiography · contextualization · academic rigor · anachronism · consultant · props
costume drama
Historical fiction with ornate attire
- historical dramaFiction set in past
- Downton AbbeyBritish period drama series
- BridgertonRegency-era romance series
Pride and Prejudice · The Crown · Mad Men · Peaky Blinders · miniseries · cinematography · set design · production design · wardrobe · casting
manor house
Landed gentry's residence
- estateProperty and grounds
- ballroomVenue for formal dances
- drawing roomFormal reception space
parlor · countryside · gaslight · cobblestone · carriage · servants quarters · grand staircase · townhouse · castle · aristocracy
yesteryear
Time not long past
- bygone eraPeriod no longer current
- sentimentalityExcessive tender emotion
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
romanticized · golden age · sepia-toned · escapism · longing · retrospection · timeless · elegance · charm · gentility
Victorian
Of a prim era
Tudor · Medieval · Roaring Twenties · Renaissance · Elizabethan · Jazz Age · postwar · antebellum · fin de siècle · interwar
corset
Boned waist-shaping undergarment
- crinolineStructural petticoat for volume
- bustleEnergetic noisy activity
- frock coatFitted formal outerwear
top hat · bonnets · gloves · waistcoat · petticoat · parasol · tailoring · breeches · gowns · lace
verisimilitude
Appearance of being factual
- fidelityLoyalty or exactness
- primary sourcesFirsthand historical evidence
- documentary evidenceWritten proof of facts
fact-checking · meticulous · attention to detail · historiography · contextualization · academic rigor · anachronism · consultant · props · set dressing
- filmsfeature films, action films, horror films, comedies, dramas
- historicalhistorical fiction, war novels, biographies, memoirs, chronicles
- historical depictionsdioramas, murals, reenactments, paintings, sculptures
- historical fictionhistorical fiction, historical novel, Victorian novel, historical mystery, biographical fiction
- historical romanceVictorian romance, medieval romance, love stories, romantic plots, gothic romance
- History Contentdocumentaries, PBS, reenactments, archival footage, biographies
period piecescontemporary drama
Recent serious theatrical work
contemporary fiction · science fiction · dystopian futures · slice-of-life · speculative fiction
period piecesscience fiction
Speculative fiction with technological themes
speculative fiction · dystopian fiction · space opera · cyberpunk · post-apocalyptic fiction
piece, period, perimeter, masterpiece, periods, centerpiece, piecemeal, periscope, perigee