Generation to Generation

**Mickey** · 2nd July 11, 08:35 PM

There is definitely a watermark or something going on here. I blew it up and enhanced it, and if you look to the left (right of the wearer) you can see how the vertical bars go beyond the kilt, from the edge of the jacket down. Also the curved "stripe" is part of this pattern. And if you look close, you can see a definite horizontal bar that travels across both kilt and jacket that all of the verticals connect to, except for the far one on the right hand side. Not sure what it is. Watermark, bleed from something in storage, hard to say. But looking close, it definitely an overlay of some sort.

By the way, I absolutely LOVE this photo. I really like old photos and this is just wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing it!

**Mickey** · 2nd July 11, 08:51 PM

Never mind then!

**tripleblessed** · 3rd July 11, 09:20 AM

Blown up, definitely looks likely a watermark. I liked the smaller version,where wild speculation was encouraged. I was gonna see if anybody would bite on it being a lodge apron for a secret society of time travelers (to explain the "zipper"section. Oh well............

It's still a great photo. Thanks again.

**piperdbh** · 3rd July 11, 12:36 PM

I'm the only one in my family to care about tartan, kilts, the 'pipes, or any other Scottish connection. As such, I have learned what I know about the wearing of the kilt from books (remember books?), this newfangled www.internet thing, and you good chaps here.
Interestingly, because of some things I've read here and other places, I can't bring myself to wear a tie with a button-down collar shirt any more.

**MacLowlife** · 5th July 11, 05:53 AM

In South Carolina, throughout much of the 20th century, the term was SCOTCH- IRISH and while there were many people whose ancestors had lived briefly in Ireland en route from Scotland to this country, it was also a subtle effort at distinguishing yourself from that crowd you kept seeing in the movies, mostly as servants or cops in Boston, New York, or Chicago. My father's family had both Anglo-Irish connections and Scots ones, but he didn't care at all about genealogy.

Our most obvious Scots ancestor came from around North Berwick, in East

Lothian, which I gather is a ways from the highlands. He came to North America a little before 1750

and I have never seen a picture of him.

If anyone here can correct me, I would greatly appreciate it, but my belief is that he probably didn't

wear the kilt.

I have learned of various other remote ancestors who probably didn't wear the kilt, and again, if they did, I have no visual proof. But my dear father joined the local St Andrew's Society when his friends organized it and he put my brother and me up when he realized it was a lot of fun. Since then we have stumbled and stood, sometimes kilted, sometimes even PROPERLY kilted with the help of Charles Thompson and others.

I think that tradition is absorbed, but I think style is, too, and I am grateful to those who have shown me what is and isn't traditional and what aspects of style make sense with the Kilt. My father's ways and my grandfather's, even when not specifically related to the kilt, still find their way into my kiltwearing. I expect they do in ways that I haven't even noticed.

That ALMOST fits the topic, doesn't it?

**KenB** · 5th July 11, 07:21 AM

My cousins and a great uncle living in the village of Freuchie , Fife were very keen to keep the kilt in their daily lives. They made it a point to wear their kilt to work one day a week and on every occasion they could. Their feelings for our Scottish heritage was past over to me and I began wearing the kilt in 1967.

**CMcG** · 5th July 11, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by MacLowlife

<snip>
I have learned of various other remote ancestors who probably didn't wear the kilt, and again, if they did, I have no visual proof. But my dear father joined the local St Andrew's Society when his friends organized it and he put my brother and me up when he realized it was a lot of fun. Since then we have stumbled and stood, sometimes kilted, sometimes even PROPERLY kilted with the help of Charles Thompson and others.

I think that tradition is absorbed, but I think style is, too, and I am grateful to those who have shown me what is and isn't traditional and what aspects of style make sense with the Kilt. My father's ways and my grandfather's, even when not specifically related to the kilt, still find their way into my kiltwearing. I expect they do in ways that I haven't even noticed.

That ALMOST fits the topic, doesn't it?

Yes MacLl it does fit, but it actually raises another question for me: at what point does a newcomer to kilts become part of the tradition?

In traditional Chinese martial arts, I've been told it takes approximately 10 years of consistent practice. At that point one should have enough knowledge and experience to firmly grasp the tradition. Having received sufficient transmission, one can then teach.

It would be another 10 years, however, to be considered a master and be qualified to tinker with the system. I suppose at that point, one would know the tradition well enough to be creative with it but not actually change it...

When it comes to THCD, I know that I'm still learning and gaining experience. I wore the kilt for the first time 19 years ago but I've only been more consistent in the last couple years. What does it take to be a tradition bearer?