The Glen Affric Tartan is now for sale!

[Patty Logan]

Hi there historians and tartan aficionados.

I’ve seen so far a couple businesses(like USA Kilts) that are promoting the tartan and declaring that is now publicly available to weave and make into different products.


From what I understand the tartan that these companies are using is the version of the tartan that is believed to have been used before it has been buried or found in that peat bog. I’m interested to know if it could be made to look like it did after they found it in the peat bog. Full of discolouring, stains colour changes etc…

Love to know what you guys think. Thanks.

[figheadair]

This should tell you what I think.

https://www.scottishtartans.co.uk/A_...len_Affric.pdf

[OC Richard]

From what I understand the tartan that these companies are using is the version of the tartan that is believed to have been used before it had been buried in that peat bog.

From what I've read, Peter's information about the Glen Affric fragment and an article about the research into the colours of the Huldremose Woman's tartan skirt and scarf, it's impossible to know the exact original colours, but it is possible to identify the dye-stuffs which tells us a range of possible colours.

So, the Huldremose scarf was somewhere in the red-to-purple range, and her skirt somewhere in the blue-to-green range. She and her perfectly preserved clothing were found in a bog and have been dated to c200BC.

Here's the peat-discoloured clothing (left) and two possible reconstructions of the original colourings (centre and right).

I’m interested to know if it could be made to look like it did after they found it in the peat bog. Full of discolouring, stains colour changes etc…

It's standard operating procedure in film-making to distress/weather/age the costumes.

There are loads of YouTube videos describing and demonstrating many techniques. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67D0e-xtfx4&t=157s

Fortunately in the case of the Glen Affric tartan we have photos of the original peat-stained fabric, so given a piece of the reconstructed pre-bog cloth it's a simple matter to back-engineer it.

One could dye the whole piece of cloth to get a uniform darker duller browner colour in order to have a kilt made closer to the bog-stained cloth.

But to really get the original bog-stained effect you'd want to also add some variation, splotches, etc which is often done with sea-sponges, spills, and drips.

I could see taking a small piece of the reconstructed cloth and using various discolouring and distressing techniques to create an imitation of the original fragment to frame on the wall, or put between thin clear plastic sheets to have as part of a tartans display booth at a Highland Games.

Sooner or later somebody might go into business making such!

[Patty Logan]

I've read an article about the research into the colours of the Huldremose Woman's tartan skirt and scarf. It's impossible to know the exact original colours, but it is possible to identify the dye-stuffs which tells us a range of possible colours.

So, the Huldremose scarf was somewhere in the red-to-purple range, and her skirt somewhere in the blue-to-green range. She and her perfectly preserved clothing were found in a bog and have been dated to c200BC.

Here's the peat-discoloured clothing (left) and two possible reconstructions of the original colourings (centre and right).

Ooooh. That makes more sense now. Thanks.

[Patty Logan]

This should tell you what I think.

https://www.scottishtartans.co.uk/A_...len_Affric.pdf

Aside from that Peter. Is the tartan registered?

[figheadair]

Aside from that Peter. Is the tartan registered?

It is, but not yet visible on the SRT. It is also protected through the UK Design Registry.

[MacKenzie]

This should tell you what I think.

https://www.scottishtartans.co.uk/A_...len_Affric.pdf

Finally got a chance to read this. Fascinating.

I'm curious though, why the 40 year wait to conduct the in-depth analysis.

[OC Richard]

It is, but not yet visible on the SRT. It is also protected through the UK Design Registry.

It's a bit of a head-shaker that it's being marketed alongside such tartans as "Beltane Blaze" and "The Alchemist"

https://www.houseofedgar.com/product...three-tartans/

I was hoping that the HoE "1783 range" was going to be a series of reproductions of early tartans such as old Wilsons patterns in Wilsons colours and such.

[figheadair]

It's a bit of a head-shaker that it's being marketed alongside such tartans as "Beltane Blaze" and "The Alchemist"

https://www.houseofedgar.com/product...three-tartans/

I was hoping that the HoE "1783 range" was going to be a series of reproductions of early tartans such as old Wilsons patterns in Wilsons colours and such.

Richard, that would be great and their Old & Rare range was sort of in that area. The problem with that range is that many are hopelessly off the originals.

[OC Richard]

Richard, that would be great and their Old & Rare range was sort of in that area. The problem with that range is that many are hopelessly off the originals.

Yes that's the crux of it, "sort of in that area".

Of course they're in the business of selling cloth, not being a museum, and they continue to create dozens of new fashion tartans which evidently sell.

However as beautiful as Wilsons colours are one would think that a weaver could kill two birds with one stone: make cloth that is historically accurate and very attractive, thus selling well.

As much as I dislike many of the Allen Brothers' sophomoric designs I do like the fact that HoE is reviving some of their more successful efforts. For better or for worse let these tartans step out of old musty books and be worn again!