Producing the Past

Antiquarianism, which had its roots in Renaissance thought, was a popular intellectual and cultural pursuit throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The antiquarian work of collecting, compiling and presenting material which exposed the past was seminal to the formation of social and national identities. These essays evaluate the cultural and political implications of antiquarianism in the period 1700-1850. The volume also considers how the antiquarians laid the foundations of later museum culture and the discipline of history.