Sporran tassels: the long and short of it

[OC Richard]

All your lads in the picture appear to be wearing their full dress/levee dress sporrans. These are not necessarily the same as would be worn with daily uniform.

At that time the Highland soldiers were only issued one sporran, the type pictured. It WAS their daily uniform. They did sometimes wear no sporran at all with the kilt, for work details etc. The modern categories of regimental dress such as No1 Dress, No2 Dress, etc did not exist at that time.

Only officers maintained a seperate levee dress, with its own sporran, like these officers of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders c1890: