So what did they call this jacket?

[OC Richard]

sorry to resurrect this old thread but I recently came across this photo, lablelled with the date 1881 by somebody... but this particular postcard was printed in 1910.

In any case, it shows several variations of the jacket I'm curious about.

Note that in the two men on the right the lapels are long and the jacket is basically a Regulation Doublet (though with braid/lace edging as is often seen in old photos and in The Highlanders of Scotland). But the men in the centre have jackets which button higher, with smaller lapels like the suit coats of the period. The man on the left might have a doublet with standing military collar. The jackets, whether they have low lapels, high small lapels, or a standing collar are otherwise similar. The board makes me think that this might be a group of Highland Dancers.

[Jock Scot]

sorry to resurrect this old thread but I recently came across this photo, lablelled with the date 1881 by somebody... but this particular postcard was printed in 1910.

In any case, it shows several variations of the jacket I'm curious about.

Note that in the two men on the right the lapels are long and the jacket is basically a Regulation Doublet (though with braid/lace edging as is often seen in old photos and in The Highlanders of Scotland). But the men in the centre have jackets which button higher, with smaller lapels like the suit coats of the period. The man on the left might have a doublet with standing military collar. The jackets, whether they have low lapels, high small lapels, or a standing collar are otherwise similar. The board makes me think that this might be a group of Highland Dancers.

Unless I am very much mistaken that looks like the now disused Inverlochy distillery appearing over the shoulder of the man on the right. Sorry that is no help with the jacket though.

[HarborSpringsPiper]

The man on the left might have a doublet with standing military collar. . . The board makes me think that this might be a group of Highland Dancers.

I was thinking the man on the far left was wearing a "piper's" doublet too. It appears that both of them on the left are wearing piper's plaids, so less likely that those two are dancers. Also, none seem to be wearing dancing shoes, though I have no idea if Highland dancers at this point were wearing same/similar shoes as today.

You could be correct about them being dancers but when I first looked at the pic you posted on BDBF, I took it for granted they were pipers. Boards were commonly used for piping competitions and it seems even most older pics I have seen of dancers, they were on elevated platforms. Pipers of the period usually seem to have worn the drummer's plaids with these dress doublets, as did the dancers.

Cool pic. Thanks for sharing it.

[OC Richard]

Now in the old days many men were professional pipers AND dancers, earning a good living from the prize money of both competitions.

This isn't dead yet: there's a guy out here who placed in professional piping, Highland dancing, and drumming on the same day at a Games.