Reassessing the Romance: Tartan as a Popular Commodity, c. 1770-1830

Through examining the surviving records of tartan manufacturers, William Wilson & Son of Bannockburn, this article looks at the production and use of tartan in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While it does not deny the importance of the various meanings and interpretations at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scottish historical review 2016-10, Vol.95 (2), p.182-202
Main Author: Tuckett, Sally
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Historical Studies
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Summary:Through examining the surviving records of tartan manufacturers, William Wilson & Son of Bannockburn, this article looks at the production and use of tartan in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While it does not deny the importance of the various meanings and interpretations attached to tartan since the mid-eighteenth century, this article contends that more practical reasons for tartan's popularity-primarily its functional and aesthetic qualities-merit greater attention. Along with evidence from contemporary newspapers and fashion manuals, this article focuses on evidence from the production and popular consumption of tartan at the turn of the nineteenth century, including its incorporation into fashionable dress and its use beyond the social elite. This article seeks to demonstrate the contemporary understanding of tartan as an attractive and useful commodity.
ISSN:0036-9241
1750-0222
DOI:10.3366/shr.2016.0295