Pleats all round

[ctbuchanan]

I've not seen this illustration before (perhaps it has been posted prior to this)
This is attributed as Lord Mungo Murray (1668-1700) on another forum.
What stands out to me among all the rest of it - is that the pleats appear all round.

[figheadair]

I've not seen this illustration before (perhaps it has been posted prior to this)
This is attributed as Lord Mungo Murray (1668-1700) on another forum.
What stands out to me among all the rest of it - is that the pleats appear all round.

There are a number of similar portraits of that period that show pleats all the way around. These may provide evidence of the use of a draw-string as a gathering mechanism. Look at the portraits of Lord George Murray and that of the MacDonald Boys for example.

[ctbuchanan]

It is so important to view these historical renderings in the context of the time they were contemporary. And the need to be particularly aware of the way things were done and what types of accessories were available.

Thanks for putting a perspective on it.

[Steve Ashton]

The painting "Evening at Balmoral" by Carl Haag, 1854 also shows some kilts that are pleated all around and at least one with aprons.
This is the painting which is on the cover of my paperback copy of "The Invention of Tradition" by Hobsbawm & Ranger.

[The Wizard of BC]

Peter,

Do you know if any of these pleated all around kilts exist in museums?

[figheadair]

Peter,

Do you know if any of these pleated all around kilts exist in museums?

Steve, simple answer, no, there are no survivng examples I'm aware of.

The two pictures I posted almost certainly show the feileadh beag rather than a kilt (i.e. a sewn garment). I'm not convinced that the Haag picture shows any kilts that are pleated all the way around, I think its just the artist's interpretation of what he sketched. Whilst the are examples of early 19th century kilts with narrow aprons, there are none that have front pleats.

[Steve Ashton]

Yea, one of those things we must keep in mind about old portraits. Paintings, not Photographs.
And even the early photographs were often interpretations.

[OC Richard]

Isn't having pleats in back and two overlapping aprons in front merely a byproduct of how the garment was put on? (The plaid, an untailored rectangle of cloth.)

If you have sewn-in pleats there's no particular reason for that arrangement, seems to me.

[jthk]

Good morning,

Do we know how the féileadh beag was put on a person? I have a belted plaid and have put that on me by laying it on the bed, folding it so the middle third is pleated, laid down on it, and belted it around me. Two overlapping front aprons with pleats in the rear. I've also tried Isaac Walter's method that he demonstrated on YouTube by sewing in belt loops -- results are the same but slightly less neat. What are your opinions about the féileadh beag?

Thank you,
Jonathan

[Karl R]

I've not seen this illustration before (perhaps it has been posted prior to this)
This is attributed as Lord Mungo Murray (1668-1700) on another forum.
What stands out to me among all the rest of it ....

I encountered this portrait before. Among other things, this is the only time I've seen a paned doublet worn with a kilt.