Tartan of the Month - Apr 12: what do you see?

[figheadair]

Missed last month but back on track again. Have a crack at this:

[xman]

I see Wilson's colours, a good kilting selvedge - herringbone at that - even at the fringe, a nice long fringe, excellent condition save for a wear in the upper right ...

I also see a tag sewn on in the bottom right.

A plaid of some kind perhaps?

[Steve of Lansing]

I see a herringbone selvedge and a tag that reads:

"MUR
TA
TART"

Also, it may just be my monitor, but the whole thing seems kind of "fuzzy".

As usual, SoL

[figheadair]

I see Wilson's colours, a good kilting selvedge - herringbone at that - even at the fringe, a nice long fringe, excellent condition save for a wear in the upper right ...

Wilsons' colours possibily or, just something similar!

A good kilting selvedge - meaning?

I also see a tag sewn on in the bottom right.

And so what conclusion do you draw?

A plaid of some kind perhaps?

Perhaps. what else do you need to know?

[xman]

Wilsons' colours possibily or, just something similar!

A good kilting selvedge - meaning?

And so what conclusion do you draw?

Perhaps. what else do you need to know?

The tag might mean that it is a labeled part of a collection somewhere.
We'd need to know the dimensions of the cloth to determine it possible uses if it is still relatively intact.
The herringbone edge should date it. Mid 18th century? Do I have that right?

[figheadair]

The tag might mean that it is a labeled part of a collection somewhere.
We'd need to know the dimensions of the cloth to determine it possible uses if it is still relatively intact.
The herringbone edge should date it. Mid 18th century? Do I have that right?

What do you think?

[NeightRG]

What's really getting me is that the twill direction seems to change a couple of inches before the fringe... Never seen that before.
A lot of wear in one place - where the thick red stripe meets the blue stripe in the top right portion.
All I can say about the tartan itself is that it's something I'd love to see reproduced - it's a very attractive sett.

[Orvis]

Welcome back!

The cloth appears to be home-made and of 18th c. provenance (judging by the herringbone selvedge and the presumably "hard" finish to the cloth. It's dimensions and fringing suggest that this cloth was a shawl or shoulder plaid. The amount of red (cochineal?) suggests that the cloth was made for a person of some financial means.

The tag indicates this cloth came from a collection, and the general lack of wear suggests that it was collected while still relatively new and stored for a long period of time in a folded state. I can't make out the writing on the tag, but if that were to be enlarged, the style of penmanship would help establish the general date when it was written.

I'm guessing that this is home-made shawl or shoulder plaid of hard tartan, and was made for a person of the clan gentry sometime in the mid-to-late 18th century, and that it was collected and made part of a collection (possibly the Highland Club of London's collection) at the end of the 18th c. or the beginning of the 19th c.

[Dixiecat]

1. the herringbone selvedge is along one length (that we can see) and only one fringe edge. I think this says that the piece was cut from a length of cloth instead of being woven for the final product that we see. But, I'm not sure as the second pic shows one herringbone length, but the other length looks smooth and unsewn. Maybe just plain weaving on the right? Sorry, having trouble saying what I mean. Just imagine I'm waving my hands around in an approximation of weaving.

2. looks like single worsted based on the threads seen at the damage in the middle

3. is the damage blue dye related? It seems that most of the damage occurs at places where the blue threads all, but that could be a coincidence of placement of a pin or broach.

[figheadair]

Welcome back!

The cloth appears to be home-made and of 18th c. provenance (judging by the herringbone selvedge and the presumably "hard" finish to the cloth. It's dimensions and fringing suggest that this cloth was a shawl or shoulder plaid. The amount of red (cochineal?) suggests that the cloth was made for a person of some financial means.

The tag indicates this cloth came from a collection, and the general lack of wear suggests that it was collected while still relatively new and stored for a long period of time in a folded state. I can't make out the writing on the tag, but if that were to be enlarged, the style of penmanship would help establish the general date when it was written.

I'm guessing that this is home-made shawl or shoulder plaid of hard tartan, and was made for a person of the clan gentry sometime in the mid-to-late 18th century, and that it was collected and made part of a collection (possibly the Highland Club of London's collection) at the end of the 18th c. or the beginning of the 19th c.

The C18th origin is almost certainly correct although it could equally be early C19th and the exact dating would have a bearing on the availability and cost of cochineal and therefore the owner. The piece is certainly well dyed and the cochineal is a good scarlet which can only be obtained using a tin mordant suggesting that it was professionally dyed, probably outside the Highlands.

The cloth is coarse but not hard like some of the C18th linen type pieces but the herringbone selvedge and general handle does point towards the cloth being rurally woven.

The tag does indeed indicate that it is in a collection, the Heriot-Watt University textile collection, but the writing on it is not relevant to the piece as it's merely archival data and does not relate to the piece's origins. Yes, the piece is in good condition but it does not necessarily mean that it was collected a long time ago, simply that it was not used often. The University was donated the piece from a collector who died in the 1970s but they know nothing of how he obtained it, from when or when which is regrettable.

Is the form that we see the original intended use, now there’s a question