Tartan of the Month - March

[figheadair]

Something a little different this month. What do you see: tartan, cut, style, date etc. Have a crack at reproducing the sett.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I've heard of a headless horseman, but a cyclist? :-)

[Father Bill]

I've heard of a headless horseman, but a cyclist? :-)

When our schoolboard was first going into cutbacks, I was a vice-principal. Walking with a colleague into a school for a meeting, there was a stepladder with a lad well up inside the suspended ceiling so that we could only see him from the waist down. Without thinking, I said to my colleague, "Look - cutbacks! Half an electrician."

It didn't really go over all that well, but you bring back to mind the stuff that jumps out of our mouths at times.

[theborderer]

I would say its a shirt, of no particular tartan. In the 50's we said Lumberjack shirt.

[Morris at Heathfield]

I think the tartan looks familiar, but I can't place it. As for the style, it looks 19th century to me. That's about as definite as I can get.

Is Matt Newsome allowed to give his input on this one?

[figheadair]

I think the tartan looks familiar, but I can't place it. As for the style, it looks 19th century to me. That's about as definite as I can get.

Is Matt Newsome allowed to give his input on this one?

Absolutely.

[ForresterModern]

At first glance the multitude of thin red stripes brought MacDonald to mind but this is not MacDonald standard sett. Looks asymmwtric with one red strip, then a tight red pair, then two more separate ones, then the repeat. And then there is that yellowish green trip thrown in.

Obviously a coat of some sort, but a bit long for typical kilt wear, and the cyclist has on breeches of some sort anyway. Boneshaker cycle is straight out of the late 1800s, probably the end of the century with the sprung seat, from my knowledge of cycling gear.

Tough to see much more on my little laptop screen. Will review again when I get home to my 23 inch where I can see better.

[figheadair]

Obviously a coat of some sort, but a bit long for typical kilt wear, and the cyclist has on breeches of some sort anyway. Boneshaker cycle is straight out of the late 1800s, probably the end of the century with the sprung seat, from my knowledge of cycling gear.

Although put together in this museum setting it would be wrong to 'assume' that the coat, trousers and cycle are contemporary.

[xman]

The twill lines run the 'wrong' way (unless the image is mirrored), but as you mentioned a couple of months ago this is a modern idea.

The colours are very rich which makes me think that the piece hasn't seen much action and/or isn't very old. I'm not familiar with the styles of various periods, but it looks like it might be 18th C. If it were made with some of the earliest aniline dyes that might explain its resilience as well, but that green isn't as bright as I might suspect from an aniline green. If it were mid 18th C. then the cultural preference might run toward the more muted greens of older dyes.

[unaspenser]

I have no idea what the tartan is, but I love the colors, and the cut of that coat!

Edit: I'd guess by the setting and the look of the cut that this coat is from around the turn of the 20th century, when bicycles of that style were in vogue.