Quote Originally Posted by OC Richard View Post
That's really cool. Generally things in museums have little or no provenance (Dr Hugh Cheape formerly with National Museums Scotland drives this point home) so having such a clear provenance is super. Comparing these shoes with the Aran pamputai would give an impression as to earlier pan-Gaelic footwear dovetailing nicely with John Elder's 1542 description.

But for sure when we look the Ghillies in The Highlanders Of Scotland all but one pair are tan roughout leather, which suggests that at that time they were regarded as a rustic shoe.
Some Scottish cuarans or rivlins (the Scots name)
sealskin rivlins comp.jpg
Top to bottom: sealskin rivlins at the Scalloway Museum, Shetland made in 1880.
Rivlin from Shetland at the NMS, made in the 1870s.
Rivlins from North Ronaldsay, date unknown.

I'm not convinced that Victorian era Scots regarded the ghillie brogue as a rustic shoe. I've looked at a bunch of photos and paintings from the mid-19th c. of Scots hunting and fishing. They are nearly always wearing either boots or basic brogues.

William Duff w grandson c1880.jpg
c.1880 William Duff fishing with his grandson. This the same William Duff who's wearing basic brogues and holding a fishing pole in The Highlanders Of Scotland.


William Duff again, in an 1844 painting by Charles Landseer

photo of Peel Ross Fishing c.1856 in double toe-cap brogues

photo of Peel Ross with Horse after a Hunt c.1856 in basic brogues

1850 painting of a Highlander hunting in toecap brogues by Edwin Landseer

1861 painting by Rosa Bonheur of a ghillie in shawl-tongue brogues leading two reluctant Shetland ponies

The only exception I have seen to this is this 1854 painting of ghillie John Macdonald salmon leistering with Princes Edward and Alfred. I suspect that if your work day required chaperoning the Prince of Wales, you might choose to dress a bit more formally than you ordinarily did.

Also, I've never worn ghillie brogues, but they don't seem like they would be very practical for running around the Highlands. Wouldn't you constantly be getting bits of heather caught in them?