Grand Conventional Festival of the Britons
By Samuel Rush Meyrick and Charles Hamilton Smith
1801 - 1850
This picture is a low quality reproduction of Meyrick and Smith’s Grand Conventional Festival of the Britons. Until the 19th century all images of druids were heavily influenced by the illustrations in Britannia Antiqua Illustrata, written by Aylett Sammes (published 1676). Then in 1815 Meyrick and Smith issued a book, called The Costume of the Original Inhabitants of the British Isles. Their drawings were influential as they introduced British prehistoric ornaments as costume accessories. However, the authenticity of their images is questionable as they combined elements of dress from different periods of history, such as Early Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, Celtic and Medieval.

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