The Highlanders of Scotland

[OC Richard]

Here are some of the lads:



John Grant and John Fraser
Here are what I call "buckle loafers", and the typical brown ghillies. Note the contrasting turnover cuffs, more like modern breek socks. A waistbelt is worn under the jacket but over the waistcoat. Mr Grant is unusually well equiped, having a pair of pistols, a powder horn, and a sgian.



Kenneth MacKenzie and Thomas MacKenzie
Here are more typical figures, showing the wearing of long hair sporrans with quite plain day jackets. Once more we have a waistbelt worn over the waistcoat supporting a dirk. Note that the bottom waistcoat button is buttoned even when one or more of the higher buttons are open. Note the common lack of flashes. Kenneth is wearing a very interesting style of shoe, halfway between ghillies and mary janes. Those socks with the knit deerhead motif are fantastic.



John MacLachlan, Hugh Graham, James MacFarlane, and Angus Colquhoun
More long hair sporrans with plain jackets. Ghillies of odd greyish tan leather. An antique 18th century sporran, or perhaps a replica of same. Fish jacket closures. No flashes.




Robert MacNab and Donald MacNaghton
The only tartan jacket to be seen. Interesting hose, neither diced nor tartan, but with lines only. Sleeve braid not unlike that of many American Civil War jackets.





John Robertson and John Stewart
An example of just how plainly some of the men are dressed. No badges, buckles, weaponry, or indeed any metalwork at all, and the plainest possible jackets. These men represent the counterargument that The Highlanders of Scotland is portraying only men in absurd high Victorian finery- nothing could be further from the case. Highland dress couldn't be more plain, save for the sporrans: evidently our modern "day" sporrans didn't exist at that time.



Neil MacLeod and Murdoch MacNeill
More "buckle loafers". Diced hose with plain turnover cuffs. One of the very few kilt pins to be seen, apparently simply a second cap badge. Interesting badger sporran with two long tails, not the short tails more commonly seen on animal mask sporrans. The "celtic" style jacket, which is worn both open showing waistcoat and buttoned up, is nicely seen (with a bit of the red waistcoat peeking out). Again we see quite plain dress on display in the case of Mr MacNeill.



Farquhar MacDonald and Lachlan MacDonald
More "celtic" jackets, this time worn open showing waistcoat. Waistbelts were commonly worn either over or under the jacket. Interesting that al their leatherwork is tan, including the sporran cantles and dirk sheaths. Interesting dirks with knife and fork side by side. More tan ghillies- only one pair of the 11 are black. Interesing small balmorals. (Only 7 of the 22 plain balmorals are shaped like today's, the remainder are somewhat smaller, some approaching the look of a pillbox hat.)

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Look even closer and you will note that he's wearing a double breasted doublet...

[HarborSpringsPiper]

So on to the next question.

In reviewing the pictures I notice Archibald MacIntosh is wearing a vest that appears more like a sleeveless coat. It looks longer than the other vests and has piping on the lower pockets, almost tashlike. He is also wearing his belt over it like it was a doublet. The buttons on it also seem to go off up the right side instead of being centered.


Can anyone tell me more about this garment? Am I just looking at it too hard?

Thanks,
Joe

Good observations and I confess, the type of detail I often overlook. My first thought is this mostly represents a late 18th century/early 19th century waistcoat. The thing that strikes me most about this is that it has a lower or more open collar than I associate with that era of waistcoat. The pocket flaps are certainly consistent with that type of waistcoat. I see what you are saying about them being "tache like", but I (rightly or wrongly) would reserve the term tache to refer to a pocket/flap that hung below the waistline, not a pocket flap like this. I absolutely agree with you that this is longer and more like a "sleeeveles coat" than what we would think of as a vest (in American parlance, anyway) that certainly became standard by the mid-19th century.

Now we come to the "buttons on it also seem to go off up the right side instead of being centered" observation you made, which is an excellent pick-up IMHO. This is one of those areas that I believe MacLeay deviated from the actual "picture" if you follow my drift. I suppose I first must acknowledge that these prints are mostly accepted to be the next best things to actual photographs and there's no denying that he paid attention to an immense amount of detail on the whole. I think that what we are really seeing is indeed a waistcoat that buttoned close to the neck and we are left with somewhat of an illusion by how the waistcoat seems to be "done-up" but MacLeay still drew the buttons in place as it was not buttoned up completely. I could be totally wrong but I'm not sure how else to logically explain what we see.

I surmise that the odd pair of hose with "lines" that Richard pointed out above is a similarly less than accurate portrayal of that particular gent's hose. I know for some this is tantamout to heresy, but I think all artists take a little license now and again.

[Jock Scot]

Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, please get your heads out of the clouds! These pictures, interesting though they may be, bare no relation whatsoever to what was worn on a day to day basis. These pictures are fantasy, a dream and dare I say it, lies. Somewhere, lost I expect, there is a picture of me in my youth, sat on a horse in a damned uncomfortable uniform with sword drawn. Now if, in a hundred years time that picture resurfaces and some one looks at it and says gosh "this is the British Army going into action in 1960, this is proof of how they did it and what they wore". Wrong conclusions could be drawn, just as I fear some are doing with those kilted pictures.

Most certainly enjoy the pictures, most certainly glean what information from the pictures that you can about aspects of clothing etc.,but please don't fall into the trap of thinking that any Scot wore that as normal dress.

Those outfits were the very best that very few could muster, plus a large dose of artistic licence, for a very specific event. A pose. Just like the fellow on a horse in his best uniform with his sword.

[Rollo]

Very interesting !

[BoldHighlander]

Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, please get your heads out of the clouds! These pictures, interesting though they may be, bare no relation whatsoever to what was worn on a day to day basis. These pictures are fantasy, a dream and dare I say it, lies. Somewhere, lost I expect, there is a picture of me in my youth, sat on a horse in a damned uncomfortable uniform with sword drawn. Now if, in a hundred years time that picture resurfaces and some one looks at it and says gosh "this is the British Army going into action in 1960, this is proof of how they did it and what they wore". Wrong conclusions could be drawn, just as I fear some are doing with those kilted pictures.

Most certainly enjoy the pictures, most certainly glean what information from the pictures that you can about aspects of clothing etc.,but please don't fall into the trap of thinking that any Scot wore that as normal dress.

Those outfits were the very best that very few could muster, plus a large dose of artistic licence, for a very specific event. A pose. Just like the fellow on a horse in his best uniform with his sword.

The one exception Jock would be William Duff, a games-watcher for the Duke of Athole (below):



By all accounts that I've come across this is how he actually looked in his day to day activities, however I've read he was even more rather unkempt in appearance (MacLeay was suppose to have "tidied up" his appearance in the portrait). The term generally used in describing Duff was "picturesque"

Here's a link about artist Kenneth MacLeay & his portraits for anyone interested.

[BoldHighlander]

Here's a link about artist Kenneth MacLeay & his portraits for anyone interested.

Also be sure to check out this link for details on the subjects in the paintings.

[Jock Scot]

The one exception Jock would be William Duff, a games-watcher for the Duke of Athole (below):



By all accounts that I've come across this is how he actually looked in his day to day activities, however I've read he was even more rather unkempt in appearance (MacLeay was suppose to have "tidied up" his appearance in the portrait). The term generally used in describing Duff was "picturesque"

Here's a link about artist Kenneth MacLeay & his portraits for anyone interested.

OH NO!!!! This wonderful gentleman is part of the dream! He may well have been dressed something like that when the Duke, or Queen Victoria were about on the estate. Any other time? I doubt it very much, in fact I just don't believe it. Even today stalkers, game keepers, ghillies wear "Estate Tweeds", but only on important days, like a meeting with the Laird, taking a guest out on the hill stalking, the Lairds brother may be fishing today and so on. Make no mistake they view "their" tweed with great pride and when The "Estate" is on public show the tweed comes out. Even if these men are at some event, say a "Game fair", near London the "tweed" will be worn and worn well and with considerable pride.

MAKE NO MISTAKE! Those tweeds are not worn all the time! Just like those kilts, smart gold watch chains and all the rest of the fantasy dream world that Victorian tourist propaganda and astute commercially minded artists were able to dream up.

[BoldHighlander]

OH NO!!!! This wonderful gentleman is part of the dream! He may well have been dressed something like that when the Duke, or Queen Victoria were about on the estate. Any other time? I doubt it very much, in fact I just don't believe it. Even today stalkers, game keepers, ghillies wear "Estate Tweeds", but only on important days, like a meeting with the Laird, taking a guest out on the hill stalking, the Lairds brother may be fishing today and so on. Make no mistake they view "their" tweed with great pride and when The "Estate" is on public show the tweed comes out. Even if these men are at some event, say a "Game fair", near London the "tweed" will be worn and worn well and with considerable pride.

MAKE NO MISTAKE! Those tweeds are not worn all the time! Just like those kilts, smart gold watch chains and all the rest of the fantasy dream world that Victorian tourist propaganda were able to dream up.

Jock, I understand what your saying, and for the most part agree, however all I can go by is what those who knew Mr. Duff say, that this is how he appeared (also keep in mind it is said he was much more unkempt in appearance & that MacLeay "tidied up" him up in the portrait). We can chose to believe those who knew him or not, the fact was neither you nor I were there to say otherwise.

[Jock Scot]

Jock, I understand what your saying, and for the most part agree, however all I can go by is what those who knew Mr. Duff say, that this is how he appeared (also keep in mind it is said he was much more unkempt in appearance & that MacLeay "tidied up" him up in the portrait). We can chose to believe those who knew him or not, the fact was neither you nor I were there to say otherwise.

With the gretest of respect, I fear, you are grasping at straws to keep your dream alive. Yes I quite believe that this gentleman dressed that way(smartened up in the picture we know) when he had too. Just like his modern counterparts do today and just like today it would be a grave mistake to believe that would be normal everday attire.

For example, if you came to stalk deer here, you would be met by the stalker and taken out on the hill, clad in his Estate Tweed, you would see other people around the place clad in Estate tweed and if you were here for several days that is what you will see. The Estate is on public show as YOU are a guest here. The day you leave for home believing everyone goes about wearing Estate tweed all the time and how charming and traditional it all is, the chaps will be dressed in, these days, realtree gortex something or others, jeans,ex MOD coats etc.. They are part of selling you that dream. Even these days!