We are just a few weeks away from Myrtle’s big Scottish adventure! Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries Book 5, Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity comes out on October 24. Today we’re getting in the spirit with a collection of images of young Scots from the era. Enjoy!
Myrtle and Miss Judson wear Clan MacEwen tartan on the cover of the new book
Traditional Scottish dress—plaid tartans, kilts, clan badges, and more—took on ever greater significance during the Victorian era, thanks in part to the Royal Family’s enthusiasm for everything Scottish. Folks worldwide with Scottish ancestry loved to show off their Scottish roots (still do!), posing for photographs dressed in their clan regalia.
A magnificent photo, circa 1893, of unnamed Scottish siblings. I love how their personalities shine through!
A wee laddie indeed, from about 1860, in a velvet jacket adorned with thistle buttons… like the silver ones below from 1910. You’ll be seeing these buttons again (maybe after a wee polish).
Highland dance, then as now, was a popular pastime for boys and girls.
An American girl shows off her best Highland Fling pose, circa 1890.
And this manual for dance teachers boasts a talented young student.
A splendid later portrait of a lad in his finest Highland attire. Love the tartan waistcoat!
Aberdeen sisters Flora and Constance McDonald were well-known Highland Dance champions. Photographed here in 1890 with their medals.
The Royal Family often sported their Highland colors when visiting their Scottish retreat at Balmoral Castle. Here princes Albert and Alfred are being taken salmon fishing:
Carl Haag, Salmon Leistering at the River Dee, 1854 (the leister refers to those alarming-looking tridents)
Read More: On Holiday in Scotland
A charming family photo of Queen Victoria’s daughter-in-law Princess Louise and her children Margaret, Arthur, and Patricia
Of course, these images all reflect special occasions. Most of the time, Scottish kids dressed like other kids in the 1800s:
Kids in Fife, about 1890
Another shot of everyday life for Victorian kids in Fife, at a fishmarket
An Edinburgh lass with her bicycle (I mean, I’m not saying you can’t bike in a kilt…)
With a tree stump! You will be hearing much more about Scottish tree stumps soon…
Of course, it’s the images of young Scots in their traditional dress that are the most striking and memorable, so I’ll leave you with one last fantastic shot of a lad and his fleecy friend.
All that wool for those kilts has to come from somewhere, after all!
See Myrtle in her own Scottish attire in Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity, coming October 24!
