The tartan dates from around 1500-1600.
(Photo:Alan Richardson Pix-AR, V&A Dundee)
Little is more Scottish than tartans.
These checked fabrics have a long and proud history.
The tartan dates from around 1500-1600.(Photo:Alan Richardson Pix-AR, V&A Dundee)
While fabric is one of the more ephemeral artifacts of history, luck can sometimes result in extraordinary preservation.
A raised bog contains few minerals and very little oxygen, but lots of acid.
Add in low Northern European temperatures, and you have a wonderful refrigerator.
John McLeish (left) and Peter MacDonald, tartan historian, of The Scottish Tartans Authority, with the Glen Affric tartan and curator James Wylie. (Photo:Alan Richardson Pix-AR, V&A Dundee)
These same factors contributed to the preservation of the organic materials of the tartan.
The tartan has now come to life anew, however.
Tartan historians and designers at the House of Edgar collaborated to recreate the tartan for modern sensibilities.
That traditional cross-hatch pattern survives. (Photo:Alan Richardson Pix-AR, V&A Dundee)
Enthusiasts of all things Scottish and historical can evenpurchase the tartan.
This tartan fabric was discovered in a Scottish bog and dates back 500 years.
That traditional cross-hatch pattern survives.
