HOS sporrans in the flesh

[Orionson]

The mask could easily be a racoon, yet it looks near enough to a badger to me.

[OC Richard]

Here's a silver fox sporran; I still think the HOS sporrans are raccoons (note this creature has a black snout)



I can imagine a British person who had never seen a Raccoon assuming that those sporrans were some sort of creature native to Britain. They look like dead ringers for Raccoons to me. (Did I ever tell you about the Australian family I met who thought that the Raccoon in Disney's Pocahontas was a made-up cartoon creature? When I told them that I get Raccoons in my back yard at night they looked at me like I was crazy. They didn't believe it for a second. )

There are several Badger sporrans in HOS and they are quite clearly badgers and quite clearly a different creature than the Raccoon (or silver fox??) sporrans in question.

Here are the HOS badgers; first, a rather more normal sporran, though with long tassels, proceeded by one in the flesh, an Argylls sporran (note MacLeay's fantastic attention to detail, the bit of white leather with the 'pinked' edge standing in for the teeth of the creature)





and this fascinating one, having both a badger face and a pentangular cantle

[Calgacus]

My vote is with Richard. I think they are raccoons.

[Tobus]

My vote is with Richard. I think they are raccoons.

The head sure looks like a raccoon, but the white fur would have to be from a different animal. I'm not sure why they would mix-n-match like that...

[Nathan]

To Artificer's point, by 1860, the fur trade was in full swing. Beaver pelt hats were all the rage in Europe and boats of full Highlanders were heading to Canada regularly and returning with cargo, often timber and pelts among other useful goods. If there was a time when North American pelts would be easy to obtain in Scotland and across Europe, this would be it.

The creature in the HOS has dark around the eyes that a badger and a silver fox do not. Given the accuracy and attention to detail of these illustrations, I think it's safe to say that this is a racoon head. Tobus is correct that the white fur body doesn't look like racoon, but perhaps the sporran maker was just being creative.

[creagdhubh]

To Artificer's point, by 1860, the fur trade was in full swing. Beaver pelt hats were all the rage in Europe and boats of full Highlanders were heading to Canada regularly and returning with cargo, often timber and pelts among other useful goods. If there was a time when North American pelts would be easy to obtain in Scotland and across Europe, this would be it.

The creature in the HOS has dark around the eyes that a badger and a silver fox do not. Given the accuracy and attention to detail of these illustrations, I think it's safe to say that this is a racoon head. Tobus is correct that the white fur body doesn't look like racoon, but perhaps the sporran maker was just being creative.

Should we discredit Ameila Murray MacGregor's annotations on this specific plate then? As Scott eluded to above, MacGregor was incorrect with regards to "Prince Charlie's Targe" in which Ewen Macpherson is holding, so...

[creagdhubh]

Here are the Mackintosh lads (quite dashing, I must say) painted by MacLeay. According to Ameila Murray MacGregor's description of the two, they are both wearing (silver/grey) fox sporrans. Hmmm...we may never know for sure.

[TheOfficialBren]

My vote is for raccoon.

[Nathan]

Notwithstanding my prior comment about the availability of racoon pelts, in the interest of fairness to Ameila Murray MacGregor, I Googled some photos of silver foxes. Although most of them have black faces/snouts, have a look at these:








A lot of the juveniles have lighter faces.

[KenB]

Great thread. I am thoroughly enjoying this. I think Josh Brown in California is re-creating several of these sporrans.