I feel vindicated. The article points out that the ancient tradition of Scottish tartans is actually a commercial invention about 250 years old, with a clear and unambiguous origin story. Hilarious example of capitalism at its, er, most... vigorous. Sir Walter Scott, not fooled for a minute, even plays a cameo role.

What a relief. As a US citizen with extensive Scottish ancestry this has puzzled me because I couldn’t find much historical evidence of this practice. While I loved the idea of a family tartan and so did my kids. But I also didn’t like the idea of being bamboozled, giving us Yanks an even worse reputation. So much falls into place...