Glen Affric tartan, Scotland’s oldest-known true tartan, has gone on display for the first time at V&A Dundee’s Tartan exhibition. John McLeish, chair, and Peter MacDonald, tartan historian, of The Scottish Tartans Authority, bring the Glen Affric tartan to curator James Wylie at V&A Dundee.
• Glen Affric tartan is the oldest known surviving tartan specimen found in Scotland.
• It was discovered in a Glen Affric peat bog.
• Radiocarbon testing suggests the tartan to date from between 1500 and 1655 AD.
• Dye analysis confirms use of natural dyes, including indigo.
• It has gone on display for the first time at V&A Dundee’s Tartan exhibition.
• The exhibition showcases more than 300 objects exploring tartan’s enduring appeal.
The Scottish Tartans Authority has just unveiled Scotland’s oldest surviving tartan specimen.
Tucked away in a peat bog in Glen Affric for four centuries, the piece of tartan dates from between 1500 and 1600 AD.
Extensive dye analysis and radiocarbon testing have given us the lowdown on tartan’s captivating evolution.
Experts from National Museums Scotland, armed with scientific wizardry, have unveiled the tartan’s true colors. Green and brown dyes, with possibly red and yellow. They even discovered the secret behind the Glen Affric tartan’s lush green hue — it’s indigo/woad, providing us with a peek into the dyeing techniques of tartan’s early days.
And with no artificial or semi-synthetic dyes in sight, this further confirms that the tartan predates the 1750s.
Now, this marvel, measuring a cozy 55cm by 43cm, is proudly on display at the V&A Dundee’s Tartan exhibition, stealing the show as the oldest among more than 300 dazzling objects.
V&A Dundee’s Tartan exhibition is a wild ride that will leave you grinning from ear to ear. Running until January 2024, this extravaganza celebrates tartan’s universal and quirky appeal. It explores its delightful presence in fashion, architecture, graphic design, film, performance, and art.
It is a treasure trove of exhibits to tickle your tartan-loving soul. Feast your eyes on iconic fashion pieces from legendary designers like Chanel, Dior, and Alexander McQueen. But that’s not all — contemporary artists such as Grace Wales Bonner and Charles Jeffrey have put their eccentric spin on tartan.
The spectrum of how tartan has been worn is covered in the exhibition. From Sir Jackie Stewart’s racing helmet with its distinctive Royal Stewart tartan band, through to contemporary streetwear from Japan.
There are items of devotion, from a fragment of tartan worn by Prince Charles Edward Stuart, now afforded relic status, to Bay City Rollers trousers, handmade by a lifelong fan.
Global, diasporic and even out of this world connections are represented too, with an ensemble made from Canadian Maple Leaf tartan and a fragment of MacBean tartan taken aboard Apollo 12 in November 1969 by American astronaut Alan Bean.
You can find out more about the exhibition here.
Anglo&Celtic 