This article discusses the possibilities of a reconstruction of the operatic gestures of the 19th century. It presents the different types of sources required for it and even some methodic approaches to use them practically. Such a reconstruction would be fruitful for musicology as well as for the historical informed performance practice. As a tool for research it would help to explain some specific features of 19th-century dramatic music, which partly germinated from a genuinely gestural impulse. Concerning the artistic practice a reconstruction of the ancient physical delivery could enrich the performance practice of opera; this applies not only to the optical component, the stage, but also to the interpretation of music since the wide range and highly expressive style of theatrical gestures of that time might also have a strong impact on the singer’s vocal delivery.