Did you know that Davidson has a tartan? Just what is a tartan?
The word “tartan” originally referenced a type of woven cloth which did not necessarily have a pattern. Scots employed the term to describe their patterned cloth used for kilts, and the term now is associated with that pattern. We often refer to the pattern as “plaid,” although originally the “plaid” was the woolen cloth draped over one’s shoulder. Each family, or clan, had a distinctive tartan.
The Davidson Tartan represents the original Davidson Clan of Scotland, and the college has used the pattern off and on for over 80 years. It has been used for decoration in the Alumni Office (John Payne, the first Alumni Secretary was the first to make wide use of it), and in the E.H. Little Library as
drapes in the Lilly Conference Room, and to cover chairs in the Davidsoniana Room.
It was even used as the cover on the 1981 Quips and Cranks.
The Quips and Cranks staff commissioned Strathmore Woolen of Forfar, Scotland to weave the 100 yards of the wool tartan for the cover of the yearbook.
If you want a piece of the tartan to call your own, you can purchase a bow tie, a long tie, or a silk scarf in the campus bookstore!
Do any of you already have anything in the Davidson tartan?