Ubiquitous Sporran Anachronism

[OC Richard]

Over the weekend I attended a Comic-Con and there was a guy dressed in complete quasi-18th century garb, with great kilt, huge sword, etc. Without looking I knew what sort of sporran he would be wearing, and I was right: a modern one.

I just don't understand why nearly every person intending to dress in a historical period will get every portion of their outfit matching (more or less) the period in question but wear a modern sporran.

I've seen it over and over, hundreds of times. The examples I see all the time include:

-Renaissance

-18th century

-Dickens fair/Dickens ball

-Victorian fair/Victorian ball

-US Civil War ball

The background is, for those unaware, is that Highland Dress underwent a near-total transformation around the first years of the 20th century. A new suite of jacket styles and sporran styles appeared.

This stylistic break makes it jump out to the person aware of it whenever a person purportedly dressing in the costume of the period before the break wear items which are post-break, or to put it another way whenever a person is purportedly dressing in 16th, 17th, 18th, or 19th century costume but wearing 20th century items.

Not that sporrans are the only thing this ever happens with; there's a general notion that Highland Dress magically floats in its own reality, a reality divorced from the passage of time. For sure I've seen Prince Charlie coatees (a 20th century invention) worn with 18th century outfits, Victorian outfits, at Dickens Balls, at US Civil War Balls. But even when people get their jackets right, the 20th century sporrans remain, immune from the strictures of time.

I could post some photos to demonstrate what I'm talking about, but I don't want to show faces. My intention isn't to say that people are "bad" but to draw attention to the anachronistic sporrans. Re-enactors, generally, view such input as constructive.

Here's one I just found and cropped, a Dickens Ball or Victorian Ball. The men are wearing outfits that didn't exist until the early 20th century, their Prince Charlie coatees and 20th century sporrans.



Here's a 20th century sporran worn with 1860s military costume. (I think I did a pretty good job at photoshopping out the weapons.)

[Luke MacGillie]

There are so few surviving sporrans, perhaps 2 non cantled ones, from the 18th Century and before, very few people making proper cantles, and even MOD cantle prices thru the roof, its kinda, sorta understandable.

Lack of knowledge, lack of supply, thinking that a sporran must always be worn, and then a proliferation of modern and fantasy styles, it all combines into a horrid display of flat out wrong material culture.

[MNlad]

I too have been struck by this incongruity. Equally jarring is people's choice of footwear. Granted, for most it is fantasy, but it seems strange to see many participants at Renaissance festivals spend hundreds of dollars on their costumes only to finish their ensemble with a pair of Crocs or Nikes.

[Stoff]

Would anyone here have a good suggestion for how to get reasonably priced cantles for the average DIY leather worker. Either DIY'ing it or purchasing for a reasonable price. I currently have 4 sporrans all I made myself, three are Rob Roy pattern and one is a flap type with fur front and tooled flap.

Thanks,
Stoff

[Luke MacGillie]

Would anyone here have a good suggestion for how to get reasonably priced cantles for the average DIY leather worker. Either DIY'ing it or purchasing for a reasonable price. I currently have 4 sporrans all I made myself, three are Rob Roy pattern and one is a flap type with fur front and tooled flap.

Thanks,
Stoff

Way back when, in the late 80's before anyone knew that MOD cantles were out there, a well known dirk maker made a sporran cantle and vowed to never make another.

The brazing, engraving, making dies for the punchwork, and then there is the large knob pivot hinge makes a cantle beyond what most folks want to both do, or pay for today.

[Stoff]

Way back when, in the late 80's before anyone knew that MOD cantles were out there, a well known dirk maker made a sporran cantle and vowed to never make another.

The brazing, engraving, making dies for the punchwork, and then there is the large knob pivot hinge makes a cantle beyond what most folks want to both do, or pay for today.

I have been thinking about investigating how to go about producing period authentic sporrans. So far the best I can work out is the standard leather flap with fur face, Rob Roy and possibly a leather cantle. I am open to any affordable suggestions that any here might have.

Thanks,
Stoff

[OC Richard]

I too have been struck by this incongruity. Equally jarring is people's choice of footwear. Granted, for most it is fantasy, but it seems strange to see many participants at Renaissance festivals spend hundreds of dollars on their costumes only to finish their ensemble with a pair of Crocs or Nikes.

I don't see that much around here, usually the Ren Faire people have the typical modern hand-made Ren-style shoes.

What I do see all the time are modern glasses. Doesn't matter what period: Ren, Culloden, Victorian, WWI, WWII, it's all the same for these people regarding their glasses.

You can pick up nice vintage frames in great condition on Ebay for around $10 and have your prescription put in- once again availability or expense isn't the issue IMHO.

[Stoff]

I don't see that much around here, usually the Ren Faire people have the typical modern hand-made Ren-style shoes.

What I do see all the time are modern glasses. Doesn't matter what period: Ren, Culloden, Victorian, WWI, WWII, it's all the same for these people regarding their glasses.

You can pick up nice vintage frames in great condition on Ebay for around $10 and have your prescription put in- once again availability or expense isn't the issue IMHO.

Unfortunately for some of us the expense is a major issue. I make my own stuff because I want nice things that I can not usually afford. I started making my own clothes when I was going to college just so I could have nice things. I would much rather spend the money on quality materials and make it myself then waste good money on something I am going to trash after a year or so. I can work in fabric and leather but unfortunately metal is outside of my skills. But there are plenty of great ideas out there to take advantage of.

Thanks,
Stoff

[Panache]

Richard,

As a performer at the Great Dickens Faire each year I find the challenge to put forth some of my outfits to you for evaluation irresistible.

What works and doesn't work for these outfits for you


2016




2015



2013



2012



2011




1810





Cheers

Jamie

[OC Richard]

Your Father Christmas outfit is simply unacceptable.

I suppose it comes down to the question: at a Dickens event, is one going to make an attempt at dressing to period?

If "yes" then I'll put on my historian/re-enactor glasses (small oval steel-framed ones, of course) and expect things to be to period.

If "no" then it's simply a fancy-dress occasion. Anything goes, and I have no expectations as to historicity. Somebody could dress as Dr Who or a Jedi or whatever, it's all about having fun.

Let's for a moment make the (probably false) assumption that your aim is to dress in historically accurate costume. What is the period in question? If we're talking 1830s, say, none of the sporrans you're wearing existed at that time, save for the mid-18th century sporran which would already have been a museum-piece.