The aim of the article is to highlight the work of scholars of the Kyiv circle of the late XIX – early XX century in the study of national forms of Ukrainian ornament as an important factor in the artistic movement of national romanticism of that time. Research methods. The article is based on the application of historical, art and textual analysis. The novelty of the research is in the expansion of ideas about the achievements of Ukrainian scientific art history of the period of its formation at the end of the XIX – beginning of the XX centuries on the study of the unique originality of national art. Conclusions. The analyzed material proves that in the late XIX – early XX centuries in the scientific literature formed the idea of interpreting ornamentation as not just an independent form, but also a synthesizing phenomenon that combines different types of folk art. The foundations of such a respectable awareness of this field of art were laid by the collecting and research work of figures of Ukrainian art culture of the outlined years. In addition, this process outlines the difficult path of formation of Ukrainian art criticism in general, because it establishes the guidelines of national identity in this way, rooted in the history of form.