what do you make of this vintage photo?

[OC Richard]

This photo is on Ebay currently, by Jay Parrino Collectibles.

Its has a number of interesting details.

I know what I make of it, but what do you make of it?

Who might he be, what is he wearing, and how is he wearing it?

[Father Bill]

Richard, you know I trust you but vintage with a happy-face brooch? They weren't invented until a few decades back.

Are you putting us on? ...a lot?

[Mike in Dayton]

This looks like a recent photo that was made to look old. Maybe something for a play or promotion. The happy face as Bill pointed out and the subject is smiling. Subjects tended not to smile in old photographs.

[Tobus]

Exactly what I was thinking. It's a modern photo made to look vintage. The goofy smile on his face (which I can't stand in photos; it's a very recent trend that is awful) as well as the smiley-face brooch, give it away.

[Father Bill]

I dunno, Tobus; I've seen a lot of vintage goofy smiles. Not everyone frowns for their pictures, nor ever did.

[Chas]

I agree that it looks like a modern photograph, made to look old.

I disagree about the broach. It looks to me like St Andrew holding his cross as the central motif. The two eyes are pierced through. The smile is the shadow of the upper disk.

The man has short hair. It is possible that he was serving in one of the regiments when the picture was taken. In addition the uniform looks as if it fits. So possibly his own. Or very lucky if it is 'dress up'.

[Father Bill]

I dunno; I've never seen such a goofy look for St. Andy (I'm teasing when I say that) but I have certainly seen pierced eyes on a happy face. For those who are interested, here's the history of that particular icon. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/in...smileyface.htm

[OC Richard]

The first thing that jumps out to me in old photos like this is the mixing of military pipers' and military nonpipers' kit, and the mixing of kit of various regiments.

So starting from top to bottom we have what appears to be a Gordon Highlanders Glengarry, with the fully sculpted Officers' cap badge. This style was not worn by the pipers of the Gordons, who wore plain glens like all military pipers.

The doublet is hard to know, because Thomas Gordon & Son made identical doublets for both the military and civilian market. But a military doublet will have collar badges, and this one does not. If military it's a pipers' doublet for sure due to the button shape (certain regiments had diamond shaped buttons on their pipers' doublets). So two items in, and we have a juxtaposition of pipers' and nonpipers' kit, meaning that this could not be a military man.

The plaid brooch is a very nice Black Watch officers' pattern; three items in and we have a juxtaposition of military items from different regiments, more proof that he's not a military man.

The waistbelt and crossbelt are a common pattern worn by certain military pipers and many civilian pipers.

The sporran is a Black Watch other ranks' (nonpipers) pattern; a juxtaposition of officers' and other ranks' items from The Black Watch, and another pipers/nonpipers mixup.

Next comes a most telling thing: he's wearing at least one of his hosetops backwards! The seam is supposed to go down the back of the leg, but there it is in front. This tells us that this is a man unfamiliar with how to put on kit; the set of pipes are a mere prop (because any piper would know how to put on his hosetops).

The spats appear to be neither Black Watch nor Gordons pattern.

The pipes... what a gorgeous set! The clearly visible profile of the 'bell' of the bass drone top tells me that this set was made by RG Lawrie, Glasgow, a leading maker from c1880 to c1930. (Lawrie pipes from the 1940s to the 1970s, when they went out of business, aren't as highly regarded.) The pipes are mounted in silver (or German Silver) and ivory, a very nice expensive set which would go in the $3000 range today if German Silver, much more if silver. The fact that all the drones are shoved all the way down tells us that this set isn't being played by anybody, a mere prop, though a beautiful one.

So anyhow I'm pretty sure that this is a 'play dress-up' photo, where a photographer's studio has a number of costume prop items for people to pose in. These items are often very nice vintage Scottish military things, things which would be quite valuable today. What's interesting about many of these 'dress-up' photos is that it seems that the photographer know how to put on kit properly, more or less, so you don't usually see the kilt on backwards etc. However a number of these photos have the hosetops on backwards, though everything else is worn properly. I wonder if these photos came from the same studio!

PS the photo is from 1945.