period piece

American  

noun

1. something, as a novel, painting, or building, of interest or value primarily because it evokes or epitomizes a particular period of history.

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period piece British  

noun

1. an object, a piece of music, a play, etc, valued for its quality of evoking a particular historical period: often one regarded as of little except historical interest

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Etymology

Origin of period piece

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

We can expect to see more veteran TV writers pitch Bible adaptations, too, and what comes from that may not necessarily be more sword-and-sandals period pieces.

From Salon

Every miniseries and period piece that came after the 1967 adaptation looks and feels the way they do because of what that series achieved.

From Salon

Long-running production “The Willows” is set to wrap in early April, and “Monster Party,” a period piece that takes guests to a devilishly extravagant cocktail party, is re-launching in mid-April.

From Los Angeles Times

And now, just shy of his 40th birthday, Coogler is an Oscar winner, for best original screenplay for horror period piece "Sinners," an unlikely mash-up of racial segregation, Southern blues and vampire-fueled gore.

From Barron's

“It was a period piece about the beauty of art, and this just wasn’t the time,” she explained.

From Los Angeles Times