A 19th Century Sgian Dubh

[figheadair]

I'd happily trot out the myth which can be found so easily online that the sgian dubh derives from the concealed-carry sgian achlais and that wearing it in the stocking began with the custom of placing it there when entering someone's home as a guest precisely so that it would be visible and not concealed, thus showing your honorable intentions.

And a myth it is. What rubbish! The first example I know of a sgian dubh is in Raeburn's portrait of Col Alasdair MacDonell of Glengarry and if didn't invent the tradition then it's a fair bet that someone else did during the Highland Revival era but given his pretentions he's certainly the prime contender.