US consulate asks Scots for help to choose official tartan

The American consulate in Edinburgh is on the hunt for an official tartan as it celebrates 224 years in the Scottish capital, and is asking members of the public for help making the decision.

The United States’ Consulate General in Edinburgh is on Monday launching an online poll to ask the Scottish public to help choose its official tartan – with the winning design set to be unveiled on St Andrew’s Day.

Jane Hartley, US Ambassador to the UK, said she hoped the tartan “will come to symbolise the continued growth of our relationship”.

“Tartan is embraced internationally as a symbol of Scotland, and we are thrilled to be one step closer to finally having an official tartan to call our own,” she said.

“All three designs up for a vote are representative of the deep historic and contemporary ties between the United States and Scotland.”

The designs include The Uniting Of Flags, which takes inspiration from the two flags of Scotland and the United States.

The consulate said the forest green overcheck in the design symbolised the growth of the partnership between the two countries.

The Journey From 1798 is the second, with that design reflecting the colours of the American rose and the Scottish thistle.

It has been designed to celebrate the growth in relations between the two countries since the consulate was founded.

Thistle And Rose is the third choice for the public to vote on, which features blocks of 98 threads crossed with sections of 17 threads to represent the consulate’s founding year.

Clare Campbell of Prickly Thistle, based in Evanton, north of Inverness, designed the three choices and members of the public can vote through the consulate’s Twitter profile.

Campbell said: “Tartan is an expression of history, geography, and self-expression.

“These designs are instantly recognisable as Scottish but help visually tell the story of the different ways America and Scotland are interlinked.

“No matter the winner, Scotland will be welcoming a wonderful new tartan on to its national tapestry.”

The United States has had a diplomatic presence in Scotland since 1798, when President John Adams appointed Harry Grant, of South Carolina, as the first consul.