Customer Reviews

History of Highland Dress: A Definitive Study of the History of Scottish Costume and Tartan, Both Civil and Military, Including Weapons... Repr of 196

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In the last 200 years a lot of spurious material has been written about Highland dress and many people are prescriptive about wearing the 'proper' tartan. After reading Telfer Dunbar's book a person who has acquired a tartan kilt will wear it proudly without feeling it is the 'wrong' tartan.

Telfer Dunbar's research, based on contemporary records, demonstates how tartans weren't given 'clan' names until the late 18th century when the 'clan system' was developing into the crofting system. In other words when Highlanders were leaving the Gaelic-speaking area in great numbers.
To this day, in Highland communities, surnames are not important until one leaves his native distrist or island.

Historically people living in a given district wore what the weavers made and they wore garments of two or three different tartans together. Historically the identity of a Highlander depended upon what badge he wore on his bonnet.

Wonderful paintings reproduced in this book. Hopefully it will be reprinted in a affordable, paperback edition.

This book is extremely informative, as well as entertaining. Most of the information comes from old letters, which are quite fun to read. I wouldn't spend a ton of money on it, but would definitely check it out from the library.