Richard,

I have enjoyed all the posts that have referenced The Highlanders of Scotland, and the back and forth that have accompanied them. If I recall correctly, and I may not, the objections to accuracy have not referred to the portraits and their details, but to whether or not the portraits represent, in toto, normal day to day Highland wear of the period. There are, of course, several gentlemen in fairly plain dress, but the majority are quite dressed up. It seems unlikely that those the most dressed up - full tartan suit, fully armed with crossbelts, weapons and targs, etc. - dressed like this to go to the local for a wee dram, or to collect the post, or other such mundane activities.

Who of us, if we knew we were to sit for a portrait for the leader(s) of our nation(s), would not dress in the best we could manage. In the 1860s the average Highlander would probably have an even more formal understanding of propriety than we do nowadays and would dress accordingly. I would hazard a guess that those in the plainest dress may have found themselves in the presence of the Queen in such garb on a more or less regular basis - the Brown brothers, for example - and were therefore more comfortable dressing that way for the portraits.

Jock Scot has mentioned a photograph of himself as a young officer in the Household Division. In this picture he is mounted, wearing a scarlet blouse and holding a sword. While the picture would be an accurate representation of a British officer in ceremonial dress it would not follow that it was an accurate representation of normal duty or battle dress for said officer.

Questioning whether or not the portraits represent every day Highland dress is not the same as questioning the authenticity or accuracy of the artists work.

Regards,

Brian