Full mask sporran: Yea or Nay?

[walkerk]

i unequivocally despise the things, and every time i see someone wearing one i think to myself ... what a d-bag ...

WTMKF
...meh...

[Andy Proffitt]

what a d-bag

Don't be so hard on yourself, we can always agree to disagree

[CMcG]

i unequivocally despise the things, and every time i see someone wearing one i think to myself a) that is hideous b) why the heck? c) what a d-bag and instantly group them with the people at highland games who carry swords, have their faces painted and spend time in the woods pretending merlin, arthur and wallace. i have never seen one that does not look like crap taxidermy and i'm sure i have seen some "nice" ones at the games.

i know it is judgmental, but meh.....

[DrumMayer]

In just leafing through a couple books I have to hand, the earliest image I see is a nice watercolour of a sergeant of The Black Watch, 1790, wearing an animal mask sporran. It isn't a badger, but almost looks like a sheep!

As far as I know the 93rd Highlanders wore badger mask sporrans from their raising in the 1790's.

The earliest painting I see which clearly shows a badger mask sporran is The MacNab by Raeburn, which by the style of his jacket looks maybe c1810.

Do you have title/author/year/page references for these books? Is the Black Watch painting from 1790, or depicting 1790? You know us academics, always craving the minutia.

As the originator of this thread & poll, I'd like to make it clear I render no moral or ethical judgement on the issue one way of the other, as has been suggested by some posts above. I think that for informed kilt wearers, this is solely a matter of personal taste, sense of tradition, and function. As to the nature of the poll questions, I tried to make them as light-hearted as possible. Yet, longhuntr74's point is very well taken: just because I don't like the way they look doesn't mean I condemn you for wearing a full mask sporran. If you wish to look like you are birthing a badger , then good on you! Bottom line: wear what you like, like what you wear.

[Bugbear]

Post deleted.

[Mike_Oettle]

Mark E wrote: “Have had a few gals even want to pay me for the honor of a lap dance, believe it or not. Quite fond of petting the sporran some of them are.”



For the record, my caracal pelt has arrived, and lacks a face. So (this time round) I will not be having an FM sporran made up.
When the sporran is made, though, there will be pictures.
Regards,
Mike

[artificer]

Mark E wrote: “Have had a few gals even want to pay me for the honor of a lap dance, believe it or not. Quite fond of petting the sporran some of them are.”



For the record, my caracal pelt has arrived, and lacks a face. So (this time round) I will not be having an FM sporran made up.
When the sporran is made, though, there will be pictures.
Regards,
Mike

Cool! I LOVE pix. What kind of sporran are you going to have made? a basic 'day' sporran covered in fur, a formal cantled sporran, or a leather cantle?

[creagdhubh]

Greetings all,

I have recently returned from Scotland, more specifically, Badenoch located in Inverness-shire, in the central Highlands. I travel to Scotland almost every summer to attend the annual Clan Macpherson gathering and rally that takes place the first weekend of August. Along with attending the gathering, I visit family relatives that live in Kingussie, Aviemore, Kincraig, and Newtonmore-all along the A9 motorway, which eventually leads to the so-called "capital" of the Highlands, Inverness.

Whilst home, I always take the time to make the time to visit various establishments that deal specifically with Highland dress, and Kate Macpherson is always on the list. Kate Macpherson is in an active member of the Clan Macpherson Association and is a professional sporran maker, with an experienced background in taxidermy. Kate produces very traditional, and some more modern, not-so-traditional animal-mask sporrans. All of Kate's animal-mask sporrans come from animals in Scotland. She also produces leather daywear sporrans, horsehair sporrans, and welcomes custom designs and ideas. Her technique is rooted in tradition, fine craftsmanship, and attention to detail.

I currently own three animal-mask sporrans that Kate Macpherson produced for me: badger, mink, and pine marten. I also own one muskrat animal-mask sporran from L&M Highland Outfitters, which is absolutely wonderful and very high-quality. I would like to purchase animal-mask sporrans with the addition of the plain brass or silver cantle and six tassels with silver or brass cones that Kate offers with some of her animal-mask sporrans, as well as polecat and red fox sporrans, in the near future. I also am very interested in her bespoke horsehair sporrans, which don't have that "piper horsehair sporran look", i.e.-Kate's horsehair sporrans tend to look more natural, tapered, offered in a variety of colour shades (brown, grey, white, black, auburn) and not precisely "formed" or "cut" as in the typical piper's horsehair sporran.

I am obviously in full support of wearing animal-mask sporrans for both daywear and eveningwear; they are quite the versatile Highland gentleman's sporran, and the properly made, heirloom quality animal-mask sporrans, most definitely may be passed on to future generations for wear. In my honest opinion, I prefer animal-mask sporrans to almost any other type of sporran out there, however, I still do own and wear plain leather sporrans in both black and brown colours, some with silver or brass studs, and some with silver or brass cantles, as well as owning a bespoke horsehair sporran for eveningwear, and a plain evening sporran in white rabbit fur with a silver cantle. I find the animal-mask sporrans very easy to wear, they look superb with any type of day or eveningwear outfit, and I have found them to be a conversation piece almost every single time I have worn them.

I only have one rule for the wearing of animal-mask sporrans, they must be well made! The shaggy, unkept, too bulky, and poorly made animal-mask sporrans that are available out there, specifically in the U.S., are in my opinion, simply ugly and are only a "poor" attempt at a very tradtional and somewhat old (the Victorian era is when they really became extremely popular) Scottish Highland sporran design.

www.katemacphersonsporrans.co.uk
www.landmhighland.com

Scottish Pine Marten (v-gusset)


Scottish Pine Marten


Horsehair with Plain Silver Cantle and Cones


Red Fox


Red Fox with Plain Silver Cantle


Badger with Plain Silver Cantle


Badger with Plain Brass Cantle


Scottish Polecat


Me wearing my Muskrat animal-mask sporran produced by L&M.


Another view of the Muskrat animal-mask sporran.



Beannach'd libh,

[creagdhubh]

Fellow Macpherson cousin, Bruce Macpherson of London, in Clan Chattan tartan, wears a very old Scottish Wildcat (totem of all Clan Chattan Confederation clans) animal-mask sporran. He does not require a sporran license for it.


Me wearing animal-mask sporran with fellow Macpherson cousin, Sandy Macpherson of Edniburgh.


Chief of the Clan Macpherson, Sir William Alan Macpherson of Cluny and Blairgowrie, TD (middle), wearing his Scottish Wildcat animal-mask sporran. He does not require a sporran license for it.


Another (side) view of Cluny and his Scottish Wildcat animal-mask sporran. Notice how "flat" the sporran is-very traditional styling-however, some animal-mask sporrans are more 3-dimensional in the face.


Beannach'd libh,

[azwildcat96]

I enjoy looking at Kate MacPhersons website. Some day I hope to own one of her mallard or pheasant sporrans. As an avid bird hunter, they really match my personality well...and I think they are gorgeous!