This exhibition highlights some of the highly decorative illustrations drawn by the artist Robert Ronald McIan for "The Clans of the Scottish Highlands" which was published in 1845 to commemorate the centenary of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. The 72 large plates denoting Highland costume were drawn by the artist Robert Ronald McIan (1803-1856) to accompany the text by James Logan, author of "The Scottish Gael". The volume was dedicated to Queen Victoria, who after several visits to the Highlands, created an interest in the costumes of the clans.
Much has been debated about the accuracy of McIan's work, but it has generally been accepted that he used artistic licence in terms of dress and patterns. There can be little doubt, however, that the plates illustrate well the popular romanticised view of Scotland held at the time.
The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries