1860's kilt photo - opinions requested! Costume or own kilt?

[mcavoycem]

This is a photo of my great-great-grandfather John Cunningham. He came to the U.S. sometime before 1864, and died in December 1868 in Braidwood, Illinois. Just enough time to marry and father two 1/2 kids (his wife was pregnant when he was killed). This is the only known image of him. Wondering which is more likely: that he's wearing a costume, or that this was his own kilt. We don't know where he came from, but he married a Watt who had come to the US from New Monkland, Lanarkshire, where her dad and brothers were coal miners, and he was a coal miner, so maybe he came from the same area (Lanarkshire or Ayrshire). Any thoughts or observations would be very helpful. We don't know if this photo was taken in the U.S. (if so, most likely would be Philadelphia or Chicago) or in Scotland (if so, mostly likely Glasgow).