What would the Victorians think?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I cannot but think you ask an excellent question. I see a combination of no visible garter or flashes in some, what appear to be woven ties in others and some that I can only assume represent elastic garters with or without flashes. If somebody can enlighten us, that would be helpful.

I had thought (assumed) that elastic garters/flashes with kilt hose were more of a recent innovation, possibly military related over the last century but now I don't know. I ran across this:So clearly the technology was available going back almost two hundred years ago for elastic kilt hose garters. My question is, when did they start using it as such?

My related question in regards to these Victorian prints is if we don't see a garter/flash, does that mean they were using simple elastic garters under the fold or what? Similary, did they ever use woven ties without the ends being visible? Were they ever wearing hose without any type of garter?

Thumb tacks.

[Bugbear]

Thumb tacks.

Guess that explains the red flashes...

[HarborSpringsPiper]

Thumb tacks.

Aye, they were manly men!

[sydnie7]

Thumb tacks.

Now wait just a gol-durn minute. I see two citations for the possible invention of the thumbtack, no earlier than 1888 and possibly as late as 1903.

While I admit that Ted's "red flashes" crack is a crackin' good one I fear that MoR is trailing a red herring down this garden path. . .

[Bugbear]

I'm not even sure the traditionalist Scots are using elastic garters now...