Classical Costumes

[click to enlarge to full size; mouseover for captions]
{I cleaned up the background a little in a couple of these images but could have spent a long time on it - an idea that was quickly abandoned}

'An illustration of the Egyptian, Grecian and Roman costumes ; in forty outlines, with descriptions, selected, drawn and engraved by Thomas Baxter' from 1814 is online at NYPL {thumbnail page}.

Many of Baxter's illustrations were based upon figures from Sir William Hamilton's vases in which in which Greek subjects are most prevalent "as it is to them we owe nearly all that is elegant or dignified in Art". The 'Costumes' album was dedicated to Professor Henry Fuseli from the Royal Academy Schools, who tutored Baxter in painting.

The National Maritime Museum have a rather beautiful pencil/watercolour sketch album by Baxter (with background information). One of the subjects in the sketch album is Lady Hamilton, whose interesting life I have mentioned previously. I might have to return to this album in the future. [Thanks Tomasz T!]

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Update: Tangential but worth noting here - the Scout Report included a mention today of a site I'd not seen before: TIMEA (Travelers in the Middle East Archive) from Rice University. It seems after a brief look to be a formidable/excellent collection of resources. TIMEA is a 'digital archive that focuses on Western interactions with the Middle East, particularly travels to Egypt during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.' Full texts, maps, photographs and more.