Figure 1.--This photograph was taken in Canisbay, in the Scottish Highlands. It looks to have been taken in early 20th century, probably the 1900s. The crofters children are going to school in their bare feet. Some wear trousers while others wear simple kilts which would have been less expensive than trousers. Notice that the kilts are plain cloth and not plaid. Nor do the boys have any fancy accessories like sporrans. They do not evn wear Scottish headwear styles.

The impact of social class and the wearing of kilts in Scotland during the 1900s appears quite varied. Kilt wearing in England and America was primarily a style worn by boys from well-to-do families. The situation in Scotland during the 1900s is more complicated and unfortunately our photographic archive is very limited. The available portraits clearly show that English boys from affluent families might wear kilts for formal occassions. This was also the case in America. We are less sure about Scotland. Nor do we know if if middle-class Scottish boys wore kilts to school or for everydaywear. We know less about to what extent less affluent boys wore kilts, especially boys from working class families. This is is in part because they were less likely to have formal portraits taken. We have noted boy in the Higlands (northern Scotland) wearing very plain kilts without the dress trimmings. We note crofters children going to school in their bare feet, some wearing trousers, others kilts. We think this was much less common in the Lowlands ahd Scottish cities. Our image archive, however, is still very limited so we are not yet able to make a full assessment. Hopefully Scottish readers will be able to provide more information on this topic.

The Working Class

We know very little about the extent to which less affluent boys wore kilts, especially boys from working class families. This is is in part because they were less likely to have formal portraits taken. We have noted boys in the Higlands (northern Scotland) wearing very plain kilts without the dress trimmings. We note crofters children going to school in their bare feet, some wearing trousers, others kilts (figure 1). Note that the kilts are plain cloth and not tartan. A reader writes, "I am struck by how the boys in this image are not wearing wallets (sporrans). Whereas the middle and upper class boys appear in all photos to be wearing sporrams." Well my guess is that those nippers would not have had a lot to put in sporrans. And as sporrans were leather items, they would have been an expensive item. My guess is that these boys wear kilts that were made at home and thus even less expensive than trousers, probably part of the reason we see them in the Highlands. Proper Highland Kilts like the ones the well to do children are wearing would have been expensive garments. Another reader writes, "The image here really illustrates the class difference between actual Highland boys wearing kilts than the idealized Highlands outfits well-to-do English and American boys wore. I think your point about the cloth being less expensive than trousers which were more difficult to sew at home." We think boys wearing kilts like the ones seen here were much less common in the Lowlands ahd Scottish cities. Scotland by 1900 had two major cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Glasgow in particular was a major industrial port city. As far as we call tell, boys in Glasgow dressed more like boys in English industrial cities like Liverpool than boys in the Highlands. Another complication in Glasgow is a large number of Irish immigrants. Our image archive, however, is still very limited so we are not yet able to make a full assessment.

Middle Class

We do not know if if middle-class Scottish boys wore kilts to school or for everydaywear. Here we do not men the fancy Highland kilt outfits we see wealthly children wearing for formal portraits. Rather we mean a basic suit jacket jacket and kilt. We think some boys in the Highlands may have done so, but we can not yet conform this in the photographic record. We are less sure about the Lowlands and cities. There may have been differences here from the type of school. Schoolwear at the state schools probably reflectd overall fashion trends. We are less sure about the private schools (commonly called academies in Scotland) which had required uniforms. We are also unsure about the kilt suit like outfits that were so common in America, but these rapidlyvwent out of style after the turn-of-the century.

Well-to-do Classes

Kilt wearing in England and America was primarily a style worn by boys from well-to-do families. The situation in Scotland during the 1900s is more complicated and unfortunately our photographic archive is very limited. The available portraits clearly show that English boys from affluent families might wear kilts for formal occassions. This was also the case in America. We are less sure about Scotland. We suspect it was the same in Scotland, but Scotland is a small country, especially in popultion. Thus our archive is very limited and we need to confirm this. We have seen a few Scottish portraits in the late-19th and early-20th century suggesting that this was the case. A reader writes, "I'm reading Fergus Lamont by Robin Jenkins (1912-2005), a novel about a poor boy that wears a kilt in Scotland. He was told by a teacher that "only lairds (lords) and their sons wear kilts". This was about the turn of the 20th century. This was well after Queen Victoria revived the style." Novels, especially contemprary books, can provide useful information. But literary works have to be considered with some suspicion. Some authors write without knowledge and can project their views back on historical times. Robin Jenkins is a respected Scottish author, but he grew up primarily after World War I. Thus his knowledge about kilt conventions at the turn-of-the-20th century was not based on personal knowledge. Wheter he researched the topic I do not know. It seems to us that it more reflects attitudes toward the kilt after World War I. Notice his working-class origins. I think this is how the kilt was seen by working-class people after World War I. It was mostly worn by middle-class and upper-class boys and at private schools. Scouts mostly from middle-class families also wore the kilt. But this was not the case at the turn-of-the century.

Created: 7:14 PM 10/2/2008
Last updated: 12:27 AM 2/11/2011