Tartan ware

In the early 19th Century a demand for tartan souvenirs was created by the initiative of Sir Walter Scott inviting King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822. The King bedecked in the kilt, and with the Clan Chieftains in full Highland regalia held a reception in the Palace of Holyrood House. This love of the tartan was keenly followed by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, ensuring the popularity of tartans to the present day. The Smith brothers were amongst the first to make available properly printed tartans and their accomplishments were seized upon by Charles and John Sobieski Stuart, who adopted this  Jacobite name for commercial reasons.

The 'Stuart Brothers' produced a book in 1829 and incorporated the Smith's 65 chromolithographic tartan plates. This book 'Vestiarium Scoticum', published in 1842, claimed to be the definitive guide to the authenticated clan tartans and was one of the very first books to show properly printed tartans to the general public. Originally having had the tartan painted onto their snuff boxes by hand, which was both time consuming and led to a limited range, W&A Smith soon developed a system of 'chromo' plating their work. Using their 'chromo' plates printed all 65 tartans onto paper which was then glued onto their full range of Mauchline Ware. This lead to a rapid expansion of their business overseas as well as the home market. The Smiths made a further significant contribution to making proper printed tartans widely available, when, in 1850 their book 'Authenticated Tartans of the Clans and Families of', was published. This book contained 69 tartan papers laid onto card and used sets from the pattern books of 'Mayer and Mortimer, London', and 'William and Wilson of Bannockburn'. Also used was a tartan ruling machine patented by the Smiths which mechanised the production of Tartan Ware. This machine, modified and improved from time to time, was used regularly by the Smiths at their factory until the 1914-18 War when due to a scarcity of dyes the production of Tartan Ware was suspended. From 1919 to 1933 tartan paper was sourced from outside suppliers, which was by then a more economic option. Tartan Ware, in particular, that of W&A Smith made a massive contribution to popularising not only tartan, but 'Scottishness' all over the world.