McIans Footless Hose

[AllenJ]

We are all pretty familiar with the artist RR McIan and his paintings. One thing that has always struck me as odd is that he features in a few of his paintings footless hosen...which, I guess basically equates them to legwarmers. We know that McIan took many artistic liberties in his paintings...is the tartan legwarmer one of them? Is there any evidence of this being an actual thing that was worn?
https://vault1.secured-url.com/clanh...rints_132.html

https://vault1.secured-url.com/clanh...rints_196.html

[Kilted KT]

while I have no historical precidence to draw from, they do resemble modern gaiters( for hikers ) or spats ( military )...basically something to keep the thorns and mud off your legs, although I am unsure as to why anyone would wear them barefoot.

[auld argonian]

While some kind of leggings probably existed it's more likely that we're looking at "artistic license" here.

Just look at art from any period and you'll see lots of wardrobing things that don't make a whole lot of sense when you think of it...naked warriors wearing helmets...everybody wearing their hats at all times...there are a lot of inconsistencies in art and illustration. A lot of the time artist were showing off their virtuosity in rendering the human anatomy...sometimes they were finding ways to gloss over the things that they didn't do so well...I remember that, during his earlier more realistic periods, Picasso found that he was not as good at rendering hands as he would have liked to be and thus charged a portrait subject a considerable premium if they insisted on their hands being shown in the painting. Art was almost always an idealization of a reality rather than a literal portrayal of it and was subject to the prevailing fashions of the painter's own times.

Best

AA

[PiobBear]

If I recall correctly (sorry; I couldn't find a reference), the precursor to hose as we know them were "moggins"; strips of cloth wrapped around the feet & legs. At some point someone had the bright idea to stitch these up, which became bag hose, with a seam running up the back of the leg. Neither of these were elastic, therefore garters were needed to keep them up, the precursor to today's flashes.
Both Irish and Scottish footwear (pampooties and brogs, respectively) resembled Native American moccasins. As I recall, the Scots were noted for wearing brogs made on the spot literally of raw hide; raw, hair-on, untanned Highland cow skin, hair inwards, and stuffed with straw or grass; they were said to stink like rotting corpses. The open, tongueless, lace-up style of ghillie brogues are said to derive from these early field-expedient styles of footwear.
Perhaps Matthew Newsome can correct and elaborate upon the above.

[Caradoc]

If I recall correctly (sorry; I couldn't find a reference), the precursor to hose as we know them were "moggins"; strips of cloth wrapped around the feet & legs.

Yep. Moggans.

Clan Donnachaidh (reenactors) page

[Caradoc]

As I recall, the Scots were noted for wearing brogs made on the spot literally of raw hide; raw, hair-on, untanned Highland cow skin, hair inwards, and stuffed with straw or grass; they were said to stink like rotting corpses.

Whoops. Missed that part.

The hair would have been worn outwards - the hairs give good traction on wet grass and mud, while wet leather is really slippery. Especially wet rawhide.

[Graham]

very interesting! it ties in nicely with my post on being kilted and barefooted.

[auld argonian]

I like Caradoc's reenactors page...I've always thought that the vests and jackets from that Jas. Townsend looked like they'd be period...

http://jas-townsend.com/product_info...8b52ab4241c38c

...don't look like they stock no moggins, thoough.

Best

AA

[AllenJ]

Good to know- thanks for the help all!

[Warlock]

Thanks Lads. And thanks for the link.