Archive for February, 2017

The Case of the Mysterious Portrait

During my many years as Director of the Scottish Tartans Authority, one of my favourite pursuits – but one that I had never enough time for – was historical research. This particular piece concerns John Brown – Queen Victoria’s Ghillie and personal servant. The Queen commissioned a series…

The Fabulous Isle of Eriskay

I was delighted recently to be asked to design a tartan for that fascinating little Isle of Eriskay. Despite its tiny size (2.5 x 1.5 miles) it punches well above its weight in the unique selling point ring. For a start this was the first Scottish footfall for…

Underground Tartan

Why is one of the Big Apple’s subway trains decked out in a tartan from a tiny studio on the edge of the Scottish Highlands? First build in the early 1900s, that subway train is actually New York’s 42nd Street Shuttle, an historic automated, 820 metre (two minute)…

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