Tartan Gift Shop c1960 catalogue

[ThistleDown]

Yes, it's probably the Anderson, but the RCAF was "designed" by William Anderson (now Kinloch Anderson) in the 40s, so there's probably not much difference.

[Dixiecat]

Yes, it's probably the Anderson, but the RCAF was "designed" by William Anderson (now Kinloch Anderson) in the 40s, so there's probably not much difference.

I think you're right about the Anderson now that I have my glasses on, but according to the RCAF:

The story of the RCAF tartan goes back to January 1942.

Group Captain Elmer G. Fullerton, station commander of No. 9 Service Flying Training School, RCAF Station Summerside, P.E.I., wanted to celebrate his Scottish heritage by organizing a "Robbie Burns Night" mess dinner.

He borrowed bagpipes for his station band and searched for a suitable tartan to outfit the band in full Scottish regalia. G/C Fullerton decided to design an original pattern that represented the Air Force. With coloured pencils in hand, he produced the prototype using light blue, dark blue and maroon colours. The original sample of a proposed RCAF Tartan was created by Patricia Jenkins and Loom crofters of Gagetown, N.B., with the Gagetown weavers also adding a white line in the design.

G/C Fullerton ordered a sample of the material to be sent to RCAF Headquarters in Ottawa for approval. The design was endorsed by Air Council and Air Vice-Marshal J. A. Sully sent it off to Scotland's Lord Lyon, King of Arms for approval in July 1942. The approval was granted on Aug. 15, 1942 and the design was officially registered as the RCAF tartan. Thus the RCAF became the first air force in the world to have its own distinctive tartan. The speed of the process from original concept to final approval in a period of eight months is truly awe-inspiring.

Almost a total variance for the Tartan Authority entry. Interesting reading all 'round!

[Kennedy]

It was a ladies skirt with knife pleats and an apron to give it the look of a kilt, what we in the US call a kilt skirt. I purchased a full 8 yard kilt at the Stone Mountain games this year. I still have my old kilt skirt, but it is a wee bit small.

Do you mean a kilt or a kilted skirt?

[ThistleDown]

Interesting differences between those two stories of the RCAF tartan, DC. If Fullerton really did take colour pencils in hand and create the RCAF tartan from scratch it is truly a stunning coincidence that it turned out to be thread-count identical to the Anderson with the exception of the white stripe that was added later by the weaver.

[creagdhubh]

My impression that it was Anderson, possibly in ancient colours.

Indeed.

[OC Richard]

decided to design an original pattern that represented the Air Force. With coloured pencils in hand, he produced the prototype... the Gagetown weavers also adding a white line in the design.

The speed of the process from original concept to final approval in a period of eight months is truly awe-inspiring.

well the speed would have been awe-inspiring had their been anything original about it!

[auld argonian]

It could be just the effects of taking a photo of a printed item, but the colours look very bright and unnatural. Almost as if this was originally a black-and-white photo which had been colourised. OC Richard, since you can inspect the original, do you think this is the case? That might help narrow down the time frame. Colour photography was readily available by the 1950s and 1960s, but many photos were still taken in black-and-white because it was cheaper.

Other than that, based on the hair styles and such, around 1960 (plus or minus a few years) would be my guess as well. Could even hark back to the late 1940s, though. (?)

Having worked in the catalog business in a previous lifetime, I'd suggest that the only color film that was used during the time period here was the now discontinued and much missed Kodachrome 25. The stuff had those vivid and contrasty characteristics. Add to the mix the fact that almost all of the photography done then was done in large format rather than the 35mm or medium format that most of us remember from the seventies and eighties...thus, that shot was probably done with an 8X10 camera using Kodachrome...pretty snazzy when you think about it. Ektachrome, Kodak's later entry into the color transparency market, had a gentler color and less contrast but really didn't come into it's own in commercial photography till the seventies...indeed, most old school art directors were still insisting on Kodachrome well into the eighties just because "that's the way it's done properly" and large format was used in advertising and catalog photography until digital photography and photoshop got good enough to allow a switch over. Having worked for Playboy in the seventies, I can tell you that most of the glamour stuff, including the playmate spread, was still being shot on 8X10 then....Pompeo Posar was still in his element and still shooting 8X10 back then.

Sorry for the digression but it might help nail the date down.

Best

AA