Weaving the nation : Scottish clothing and textile cultures in the Long Eighteenth century
View/ Open
Tuckett2011.doc (7.049Mb)
Date
30/06/2011Author
Tuckett, Sally Jeanne Susan
Metadata
Abstract
Clothing and textiles are an important means of communication, providing nuanced
signals of economic and social status, occupation, and political affiliation.
Consequently the study of clothing and textiles is a valuable approach to the
investigation of a past society. Building on current methodological approaches
associated with clothing and textile history and the study of material culture, this
thesis will investigate how the clothing and textiles of the Scottish population in the
long eighteenth century can be interpreted as symbols of wider cultural, social and
economic practices.
Studies of tartan and Highland dress have dominated the literature on historical
Scottish dress and textiles, a result of these items’ intimate connection with modern
Scottish identity. This thesis seeks to redress the balance by examining clothing and
textiles in both the Highland and Lowland regions, in rural and urban areas, and in
the experiences of the elite and non-elite sections of the population. This will be
done using multiple and varied sources, including surviving artefacts, portraits,
inventories, and contemporary literature. By incorporating quantifiable analysis and
qualitative interpretation, this approach complements and adds to existing knowledge
of Scottish clothing and textiles. The thesis begins with an examination of the
clothing culture, looking at everyday clothing and its use in national, occupational,
and political identities. Examination of the textile culture scrutinizes the use of
textiles in literature, the economic and ideological approaches to the textile industry,
and the practical motivations behind tartan manufacture. The role of ‘fashion’ in
Scottish clothing and textile cultures is studied, looking at how outside fashions were
received within Scotland, and how Scotland in turn influenced wider fashions. The
thesis provides an overview of Scottish dress and textiles in the long eighteenth
century demonstrating the importance such investigation can have on the
comprehension of the wider social and economic practices of a nation.