Tartan jackets/coats pre1800

[IsaacW]

With the talk of Mr. MacDonald having a run of the Culloden jacket tartan done, it has me thinking a lot on tartan coats of the 18th century. I was hoping we could pool our resources and post all the images we could of such coats, extant and in paintings.

Culloden Coat"

Royal Co. of Archers coat

1780-90

Recent coat that Mr. MacDonald brought up...

1788 John Bogle

1720's -Major James Fraser

[IsaacW]

John Campbell, Lord Glenorchy, ca. 1735
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Portrait of a Highlander by Richard Waitt

robert grant of lurg (1678-1777). Painted in 1769, and attributed to Richard Waitt

John Murray, Earl of Dunmore

James Moray of Abercairney (1705-1777) , c.1739


Norman Macleod

Sir Alexander MacDonald of Sleat

The MacDonald Boys.

John "of the Bank" Campbell of Ardmaddie, 1749

Pryse (or Pryce) Campbell, 18th Thane of Cawdor, 1762

Sir Stuart Threipland, de jure 3rd Baronet, of Fingask

[IsaacW]

Charles Campbell of Lochlane


Portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720–1788), Eldest Son of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart c.1750 by William Mosman (Scottish c.1700–1771)


Donald Cameron of Lochiel - the gentle Lochiel


1748, 7th Earl of Wymess


Major Alexander Tulloch of Dunbennan


1729 Thomas Osborne 3rd Viscount Dunblane


Richard Waitt Andrew Macpherson of Cluny, 1640 - 1666


Alexander Robertson 15th Clan Chief 1784

[figheadair]

[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Helvetica Neue]

Donald Cameron of Lochiel - the gentle Lochiel

Issac, my research shows that this one is c1850 and so doesn't fit the criterion. Details here.

[figheadair]

Alasdair Ruadh MacDonell (c.1725–1761), 13th Chief of Glengarry


c1730 - Allegedy a Macnaughton

[IsaacW]

Thank you for the correction and the additions.

Something that I find interesting, although unrelated to the topic of jackets, is how some of these are tartans still exist, but there are some great examples of the idea that the family/clan tartan of today truly did not exist. I find it interesting that although the Government Sett is rather old and there is the argument that some give that it derived from Campbell tartan (I have never bought into that), all the Campbells shown above have red based tartans. The clan today does not recognize any red tartans as Campbell.

[figheadair]

I find it interesting that although the Government Sett is rather old and there is the argument that some give that it derived from Campbell tartan (I have never bought into that), all the Campbells shown above have red based tartans. The clan today does not recognize any red tartans as Campbell.

I agree with your sentiment regard the early use of the Government tartan by the Campbells. The fact that various recent Campbell chiefs have not recognised any of the red tartans worn by various early Campbell lairds rather goes to emphasis their lack of understanding of the historical use of tartan, and their desire to regiment something that was only ever regulated in the Army.

[IsaacW]

A nice detail from a Hogarth painting. I am not sure how accurate this necessarily is. Hogarth does great detail, but he also embellishes for the sake of satire and definitely wanted to show this man as a "Jacobite."

[IsaacW]

@figheadair
Peter, do you have any idea what the tartan (if it is a tartan still) that the thane of Cawdor is wearing as a plaid in this image...

[figheadair]

@figheadair
Peter, do you have any idea what the tartan (if it is a tartan still) that the thane of Cawdor is wearing as a plaid in this image...

Not a tartan that we know today. Structurally, it's like a combination of Watson/Gordon of Esselmont and Murray etc.