The History of Famous Cloth Patterns: Tartan

10/21/2017

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Prince Charles Edward Stuart, 1720 - 1788. Eldest son of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by
William Mosman, 1750. Collection: Scottish National Gallery Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public
Domain

There is no daubt that checks and tartans are also one of this season's fashion trends.
From time to time chekered fabrics are back in vogue during autumn and winter as they
fit into the season's landscape. 

They are related to the warmth and coziness...and yes, we see them also this year...

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That's why I wanted to find out more about why during the earlier times tartans were so
popular among travellers or those who were busy with daily routines...Why do they are
so related to autumnal feelings or rebellious attitude?

So to say... the better, however, is to know what we are wearing today! 

But how it all started? 

What's in the name? 

Tartan is a closely woven woolen cloth which originated in Scotland, where the different
patterns are used to identify individual clans. The fabric is cross-banded with coloured
stripes which create designs of various checked widths. 
In the 1840s Queen Victoria's frequent visits to her estate at Balmoral in Scotland
stimulated a fashion for tartan garments (see pictures below). 
Tartan's history is closely linked to the history of a plaid and the kilt, and also, - it has
deep roots in the history of Scotland. 

In early times the kilt was a long, toga-like garment, woven of vegetable-dyed yarns,
which was gathered at the shoulders. It served as both clothing and a blanket. From the
Middle Ages it was made from a plaid - a piece of fabric, usually 16 foot by 5 foot, which
was wrapped around the lower torso to make a calf-length skirt, with the other end
draped across the chest and over the shoulder. By the 17th century the kilt had become
identified with Scotland. It consisted of a skirt of seven and a half yards of tartan cloth,
most of which was pleated, except for the last half yard at each end which was left
unpleated. The unpleated ends were crossed over each other in the front and held in
place by buckles or a large pin. By this time the plaid was a separate piece, worn over
the shoulder. 

Royal Tartans 
The Royal association with tartan really began with the 1822 visit of King
George IV to Scotland - the first visit of a reigning monarch to Scotland in
nearly two centuries. The famous writer Sir Walter Scott organised the visit,
and convinced the King to wear a tartan kilt, which had until recently been
banned under the Dress Act of 1746 as a symbol of Scottish rebellion. [2.]
Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, helped to design the Balmoral
tartan, which is still regularly worn by the Royals to this day. By convention,
no one outside the Royal Family (other than the Queen's personal piper)
may wear the Balmoral tartan. So DC Dalgliesh is one of the few weavers
ever to have produced the plaid. [2.]

Evolution Of Scottish Tartan

The evolution of traditional Scottish or Highland dress is quite obscure. Many historians
agree that the popular image of the Highlander is largely a product of 19th-century
romanticism. 

The skill of Celtic weavers was aknowledged even in Roman times, and visitors to the
Highlands of Scotland in the early 18th century commented on the quality of the fabric
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that the inhabitants produced. Their woollen cloth had a distinctive checked pattern that,
by the 17th century at least, was commonly referred to as tartan. Tartan patterns, or
'setts', are created by using two colours of thread, which results in three colour
combinations. All patterns are structured as a series of stripes around a central
'pivot'stripe, which are then repeated as regular blocks of pattern. Typically, early tartans
would have been relatively muted in colour and created from natural dyes, but a trend for
more colourful patterns emerged as brighter dyes became available. 

From 1815 there was a move to register all tartans, and many patterns were created and
linked with surnames for the first time. It is likely that what started as geographically
based patterns, resulting from the local availability of dyes, - then became linked with
clans in a particular area, and, in turn, with surnames alone. 

Tartan cloth has been a symbol of Scottish, or at least Highland, identity for many
centuries. The 18th century was a tumultuous time in Scottish history and, acccordingly,
the period witnessed the most significant attack on Highland dress, as well as the start of
its greatest popularity. Support for the Jacobite campaign to restore a Stuart monarch
grew in Scotland after the Union of Pariaments in 1707, which joined the kingdoms of
Scotland and England. Tartan became the uniform of the Jacobite rebels. The Disclosing
Act of 1746 banned the wearing of tartan, kilts and shoulder plaid, but tartan's rebellious
associations made it popular among a wider audience. After the Disclosing Act, the
wealthy in Scotland were more inclined to be depicted wearing tartan in their portraits. 
The second half of the 18th century witnessed a growing concern to protect and promote
Scottish traditions and culture. In addition to the impact of the Disclothing Act, traditional
Highland ways of life were being radically altered by land clearances and other
modernizing influences. A literature was emerging that portrayed early Gaelic culture as
virtuous and dignified, as exemplified by the collection of Ossian narrative verse
published in 1760. 

The end of the 18th century came with revival, or reinvention, of traditional Scottish
culture, and it was from this point that the fashion of tartan and Highland dress began to
extend well beyond the borders of Scotland. 

Sir Alexander Macdonald (1744 - 1795), 9th Baronet of Sleat and 1st Baron Macdonald of Slate,
attributed to Sir George Chalmers Image source: Wikimedia Commons - Google Art Project 

Male Scottish Clan Dress & The Shoulder Plaid 

Eugène Devéria's painting epitomizes the romanticized view of the Highlander that had
evolved by the 19th century. 
The chief of a Scottish Clan has drawn both his weapons associated with Scottish
soldiers. The six-tasselled badger sporran was part of the officer uniform for the 93rd
(Sutherland Higlanders) Regiment of Foot, and the choice of a red doublet and dicing on
the cap is also evocative of Highland military uniform. The shoulder plaid harks back to
the earlier Higland tradition of wearing a single, untailored piece of cloth or "big plaid".
For Higland men, this could be used as a blanket at night and arranged into a costume
resembling a kilt by day. The fabric was folded into pleats and fixed by a belt to form a
skirt. Remaining material was used a s a cloak or hung over the shoulder. Practical attire
for the harsh Highland conditions, the shoulder plaid aslo had aesthetic appeal. 

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Chief of a Scottish Clan by Eugène Devéria (19th century). Image: Google Search

Trivia of Male Scottish Clan Dress 

Balmoral Bonnet - This style of bonnet was known as a Balmoral in the late 19th
century, and had origins in Scotland from at least the 16th century. It is a soft woollen
cap, with a large flat crown. It is typically worn tilted to the right, with two securing
ribbons hanging from the back. The two eagle feathers, held in the clan crest badge on
the bonnet, indicate a chieftain rather than a clan chief, who would wear three featers. 

Sporran - the sporran, like a medieval belt pouch, compensates for a lack of pockets in
the kilt. The large hairy sporran was introduced by the military in the mid 18th century
and has obvious connotations of male vigour. 

Tartan Pattern - Clans could have a dress tartan, which was often created by changing
one of the background colours in their standart tartan to white. Hunting tartans were
another variant, and they were designed with muted colours. From the mid 19th century,
the availability of chemical dyes led to a distinction between modern clan tartans and
more muted ancient setts. Earlier tartans could be vibrant, and Highlanders were noted
for producing dyes from local vegetation.

Socks - the Argyle check hose would have been hand-knitted using the intarsia
technique. Before the 19th century, hose would have been made from woven cloth, cut
on the bias and swen so that the pattern wound around the leg. Important addition to
hose is a single-bladed knife, a sgian dubh , would typically be tucked in the hose of the
right leg, with only the hilt exposed to view. 

1815 - tartan patterns are registered and linked with clan names for the first time.

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Tartan As A Fashion Statement
As a fashion garments, kilts (usually the skirt without the plaid) have been popular
since the 1940s. Modern versions usually are made from two yards of woolen fabric and
do not conform to Scottish traditions. Fashion kilts were notably popular during the
1970s and formed part of Ivy League and Preppy dress for women.
The Tartan Clan is something very significant. It usually comes to mind instantly if we
are thinking of 20th-century tartan fabrics. It is associated with rebellion, the Punks and
their queen - Vivienne Westwood.

Over the years tartan has become synonymous with the Vivienne Westwood name,
conjuring up images of vibrant plaid suits, classic tartan accessories, and Vivienne’s very
own clan; the McAndreas.

Famed for her love of traditional British fabrics, Vivienne’s use of tartan in particular
exploded onto the catwalk with the Autumn/Winter 1993/94 collection, Anglomania.
This iconic collection saw supermodels Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Naomi
Campbell and Kate Moss hit the red-carpeted runway sporting one tartan creation after
another. [4.] 

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