November 15, 2024
Tartans
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Tartan refers to a pattern of interlocking stripes, running both horizontally and vertically through cloth. Many people around the world, including most of us here in the United States, refer to this patterned textile as plaid, but this is a case of mistaken identity. According to the Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center website, "Plaide actually comes from the Gaelic word for a blanket, and is specifically used in the context of Highland dress to refer to a large length of material. The original kilt was known as the “belted plaid” and consisted of a length of cloth (basically a large blanket) that was gathered and belted at the waist. The plaids were most often made from a tartan cloth, and so the confusion between the two terms is understandable."
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Oldest Known Scottish Tartan
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The Glen Affric tartan. Photo: Victoria & Albert Museum in Dundee and House of Edgar.
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Richard Whiddington writing for Artnet relates the journey of the 500 year old Glen Affric Tartan. The tartan takes its name from the Highlands area of Scotland where it was found in the 1980s, "after laying submerged in a peat bog." Radiocarbon testing done in 2023 dated it to between 1500 and 1600 and researchers identified it as an outdoor working garment. For some historical context, this would have been around the time of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587). |
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The Glen Affric Tartan then underwent dye analysis to decipher its original colors which were confirmed to be "green, red, yellow, and brown, all of which were drawn from organic materials, such as woad and madder." (Plants historically used as dyes.)
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Despite its close association with Scotland, the earliest sample of tartan was actually found in China. According to Gerard Seenan writing for the Guardian, the fragile textiles formed the clothes found on mummies thought to be the bodies of tribesmen, who trekked from Central Europe to the Orient around 3000 BC. |
Thousands of Tartan Designs
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In the year 1800 there were perhaps 90 to 100 “named tartans.” Today there are over 7,000. You can even apply to register a tartan of your own design. You will need to provide a threadcount, an image and a proposed tartan name, but with over 7000 unique tartans already on record, you might want to search the Scottish Register of Tartans to make sure your name or "unique" design hasn't already been registered.
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Photograph: Thomas Sutton/ James Clerk Maxwell/
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| The First Color Photograph |
A tartan ribbon rosette was the subject of the first color photograph. Thomas Sutton collaborated with Scottish theoretical physicist James Clerk Maxwell in 1861 to produced the earliest color image. By photographing the tartan ribbon three times through red, blue, and yellow filters, then recombining the images into one color composite, the principle of colour photography was born. |
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MacBean Tartan Goes into Space
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According to Todd Wilkinson writing for Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, "In November, 1969, a 37-year old US Naval aviator and astronaut named Alan Bean was part of the crew of Apollo 12. Bean, who like Armstrong, was aware of his Scottish heritage, carried a large swatch of the MacBean tartan with him to the moon." |
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A piece of the MacBean Tartan that went into space. | |
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The Apollo 12 Tartan Design
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Kenny Smith notes in his 2018 article for Scottish Field Magazine that "Since returning his lunar tartan to Earth, Alan guarded it carefully, occasionally donating a piece to deserving institutions such as St Bean’s Chapel in Perthshire and recently to the Scottish Tartan Museum."
He goes on to note that "Inspired by Alan’s gift, Ken MacDonald of Kiltmakers in Paisley designed and registered an Apollo 12 tartan. Its colours reflect the MacBean and Gordon tartans of the mission’s two Scots-heritage astronauts, and the greyness of the Moon." |
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Alan Bean shows off his Apollo 12 Tartan Tie. | |
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| The State of Connecticut Tartan
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In 1995 the Connecticut General Assembly recognized the official Connecticut State Tartan. The tartan is designed with large blue stripes representing Long Island Sound, large green stripes representing forest, medium gray stripes representing granite, red and yellow pin stripes representing autumn leaves and white pin stripes representing snow. |
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Resources used for this Musing from Main are listed below. -
Dhaliwal, Ranjit, The First Color Photograph, The Guardian, published July 9, 2013, retrieved November 15, 2024.
- House of Tartan website
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James Clerk Maxwell Foundation Website
- McLaren, Hannah, The Fascinating History Of Scottish Tartan, The Scots Magazine, retrieved November 15, 2024.
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Seenan, Gerard, Preserved with the mummies, clues to an ancient mystery, The Guardian, published January 24, 1999, retrieved November 15, 2024.
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Smith, Kenny The late Alan Bean was the Scotsman on the moon, Scottish Field Magazine, published November 23, 2018, retrieved November 15, 2024.
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Whiddington, Richard, You Can Now Get Your Hands on the World’s Oldest Tartan Design, Artnet, published February 15, 2024, retrieved November 15, 2024.
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Wilkinson, Todd, Armstrong's Lantern: Spaceflight Scottish Connections, Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, retrieved November 15, 2024.
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Celebrate Tartans with us at the "Snowed Inn"
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If you would like to be involved with the Gingerbread House Festival this year? There are several ways you can join in the fun. The volunteer sign up forms for both adults and students are now up online.
If you like to bake but don't want to commit to exhibiting a gingerbread masterpiece, we are bringing back home made baked goods to Ye Olde Gingerbread Shoppe. Volunteer bakers can make holiday treats and prepackage them in amounts to be sold for $2. They can be dropped off anytime during festival hours Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 7pm or Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Please email if you need more details or a special drop off time.
We hope to see you at the Snowed Inn! |
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