La Mode à l’Écossaise: Textile of Diplomacy

Seta K. Wehbé

Textile design can provide an immediate expression of intent, a visual communication. Tartans were made and used in Scotland for centuries before the big revival in the early nineteenth century; the great promoter of tartan fashion was the poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott. In 1822 when King George IV of England went on a reconciliatory visit to Scotland he wore a Highland wool tartan kilt and impressed his hosts. This started an interest for tartans in England, which was continued by his niece Victoria; the Queen became very partial to these patterns, and even the royal children were seen playing in tartan kilts. In 1855 the Empress Eugénie, for a state visit to England wore a vivid silk tartan dress as much to please her hostess, Queen Victoria, as to emphasize her own Scottish heritage. The vogue for Scottish tartans spread through France leading to the production of silk tartans and the development of “La Mode à l’Écossaise.” The popularity of tartans was further enhanced with the discovery of bright colored aniline dyes; these were the first synthetically produced basic dyes from the distillation of coal-tar. The invention of the Jacquard loom made the weaving of complex tartan patterns even faster and cheaper, and accessible to middle class consumers. Silk tartans and other manifestations of La Mode à l’Écossaise were at their peak in Europe in the mid-1850s and early 1860s, and even made it across the Atlantic. Textile designs, such as the tartan, can be powerful yet discrete means of communication.

 

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