information about tartan COMPLETED

[PrueM]

I don't think it matters that  it's not "proper" highland dress.  It's just someone wearing a beautiful tartan made into a semblance of something Scottish, as a reminder of their Scottish heritage

Have a look at these ladies, wearing something similar and from a similar time:
http://www.newsobserver.com/content/media/2011/4/26/mayday.jpg

As for the tartan itself, there are lots of tartan websites, but without knowing the colours it would be difficult to pin down which one this is.  I don't know if there is a Simpson tartan, although I believe that there is a Simpson sept of the Fraser clan.

Cheers
Prue

[Forfarian]

I don't think it matters that  it's not "proper" highland dress. 

It matters not a jot as long as you don't misuse the word 'kilt' to describe a long loosely gathered skirt.

I believe that there is a Simpson sept of the Fraser clan.

There is indeed. This seems to be based on the prevalence of the given name 'Simon' in Clan Fraser. However a moment's reflection will tell you that not all Simpsons are connected to Clan Fraser, as the Brigadoon industry would have us believe. Simon is a biblical name, and there are 'sons of Simon' all over the Judaeo-Christian world without a drop of Scottish, let alone Fraser, blood in them 

[livia]

Thanks for the link, Prue, very interesting to see the similarities. Without ready access to information on tartans, national costume, or anything Scottish, in those days in Australia, I suppose great-grandfather relied on memory and close enough would have been good enough for the purpose of reminding his children that they were half Scottish.

[Ann Baker]

With luggage space being not great in those days, carrying 8 -9 yards of heavy tartan (that's the average yardage in a standard kilt) would have been a big proportion of your luggage so not something your average traveller would have with them.

And reminding anyone of their scottish heritage is never a bad thing in my eyes - but since I am a Scot myself might have a wee bias there! 

[Forfarian]

I have travelled to mainland Europe several times as a member of a Scottish dance group. The men never try to pack their kilts - they wear them to travel.

[elinga]

I understand your bias Ann Baker
as a scot having living outside of Scotland several times in my adult life can I say that I have got "more scottish" than I would normaly be...............lol
having lived in Iceland for 11 years now , I attend Burns Suppers and promote Scotland at every turn.
I have even made contact with the scottish office who promote Scotland abroad and they send me badges flags pens and other give a way things to promote my beautiful country
I even have "Scottish Days" whenever required
regards
Elinga

[Viktoria]

 Interesting about Gaelic --an American on a walking holiday in Ireland asked an old gentleman he met-" Where does this road go to?"--" Sure and it  goes nowhere, it stays right here but if you travel along it you will arrive at the village of-------". It is the literal use of words isn`t it. We say a picture hangs on a wall but in Flemish they say a picture hangs to the wall which is more correct .
How lovely to speak the language . Excuse my ignorance but was that Scots Gaelic or Erse-- have  used the correct words?
                                       Viktoria.

[Forfarian]

Excuse my ignorance but was that Scots Gaelic or Erse-- have  used the correct words?

That was Scots Gaelic. The word Erse is pretty well obsolete. It was originally used by Lowland Scots to refer to the language spoken to the north and west, but nowadays would probably be understood as referring to Irish Gaelic.

For the record, I don't speak Gaelic but I have studied it a bit so have an acquaintance with the basics of the grammar and spelling.

[Viktoria]

 Thankyou, Forfarian. Viktoria.