5/12/2016 Scottish register of Tartans "Daughter of Mull" #11,537.

Each is unique, calling something by different names does not change the thing. Call me Matt, Matthew, Phil, Philip or Mr. Heady I am still the same person. The Scottish Tartan Authority official tartan was originally Wilson #70 for instance. Same tartan.

My point about color is that saying something is red doesn't mean much all by itself.

I never said that "ancient" WAS the original colors, just that the mills are trying to replicate what they think are the original colors.

Quotes from "Tartan For Me" Expanded ninth edition; Philip D. Smith, Jr. PhD, FSTS, GTS, FSA Scot:

"Tartan is woven in four basic shades: (1) The brighter and darker "modern" hues made possible by new dyes after 1855 and (2) the softer "ancient" colors which show the pattern better and became more popular in the 1950's and '60's. (3) The shades known as "muted" and (4) the "Reproduction" (copyright D.
C. Dangleish, Ltd.) and "weathered" colors are imitation of tartan long exposed to sun, rain or soil. For simple visual identification, the red is more orange colored when called "ancient"; blues and greens are woven as gray and brown in the "reproduction" and "weathered" colors. Every mill will have its distinctive and unique color palates."

"The key to tartan identification is in the pattern. A single pattern can be woven in large or small scale in any of the many color possibilities. These variations will visually appear to be very different but are all correct representations of the save tartan. As long as the shades of color fall within the broad spectrum specified, it is the pattern, not the width of the sett nor the shade of color which identifies the tartan. The so-called "Ancient Smith" and "Smith" tartans are the same, simply different color versions of the pattern."

"All words AFTER the clan/family name refer only to the color shades with which it is woven. Examples are "Modern" or "Ordinary", "Ancient", Muted", "Reproduction" or "Weathered". Examples might be "Forbes, Reproduction colors" and "MasGill, Ancient Colors". Absence of any color descriptor implies "modern" colors."

So again, the different palettes used by the mills are trying to accomplish different things. They are not creating different tartans. More choices, more opportunity to sell more tartan. More choices for us. Wear what you like (if not a restricted tartan of course).

figheadair, thank you for the interesting discussion.

Matt