American
American National Tartans & Clan
The American National Tartan was designed by Kenneth MacDonald. Created to commemorate Tartan Day on 6 April, the tartan was presented in 2004 to President George W. Bush as a symbolic gift from the people of Scotland to the people of the United States.
American National Tartans
1 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- Dress
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
Dress Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
Explore the History
How it all started
The American National Tartan was designed by Kenneth MacDonald and presented to President George W. Bush in 2004. Created to honour Americans of Celtic heritage, the tartan also celebrates the long-standing relationship between the United States and Scotland.
The design is refined and balanced, featuring blue and black as its base, accented with red and white stripes and a subtle line of green. It is not associated with any specific clan and can be worn by anyone wishing to acknowledge this shared cultural connection.
National Tartan Day
As the American National tartan was made to celebrate Tartan Day, it is only fitting that we explore the history behind the big day itself.
In 1998 the US senate first declared National Tartan Day to recognise the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scottish Americans to the United States. In the lead up to the announcement the Senate realized that almost half of the signatures on the United States Declaration of Independence had Scottish descent. This led to President George W. Bush in 2008 signing a Presidential Proclamation making April 6 National Tartan Day.
The 6th of April was decided as National Tartan Day as it was the date the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. This declaration announced Scotland's independence from England, and it is believed to have inspired the United State Declaration of Independence centuries later.
Explore More...
