Popular Imaginations of Scotland: Outlander and Art History
By Zachary Vincent
As is potentially the experience of many other St Andrews students from outside Scotland, I have had to contend with a barrage of questions from those in my hometown about the culture, society, and history of this country in relation to an increasingly popular source of media: Outlander. Since the book series and TV show took off in the public imagination several years ago, viewers from around the world have seemed united in their crushes on actor Sam Heughan (Jamie) and their newfound desire to visit Scotland.
Figure 1: Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) in "Outlander" season 1, courtesy of Starz
And Outlander is, of course, only one example of the growing interest in Scotland as promoted by popular media sources. Along with a string of other feel-good, romantic-comedy Christmas and holiday movies which premiered on the streaming service Netflix late last year was “A Castle for Christmas”, a Scottish-themed fantasy fulfillment involving Brooke Shields as a successful, if weary, author of romance novels who escapes to the rolling hills of Scotland to find her own Scottish prince charming, in this case a sultry but ultimately misunderstood Duke with a heart of gold and serious financial issues. In case after case, the trend of growing international (especially North American) interest in Scotland is upheld.
And so, what does this mean for historians of Scottish art? While the connections may not instantly be apparent, it is important to consider the primary time periods fixated upon in international media as quintessentially Scottish ones; springing first to mind are the years leading up to the Jacobite Revolution of 1745. A geographic shift in interest has also taken place, from the Enlightenment centres of the Edinburgh elite to the misty moors and lochs of the highlands. These distinctions and shifts in focus may seem arbitrary, but they represent an entire shifting of the narrative in the Scottish historical and art historical worlds.
Perhaps the best illustration of this is a recent trip I took to the northern city of Inverness, where I was lucky enough to also visit the battlefield at Culloden Moor, the site of the definitive defeat of the highland Jacobite forces to their British army opponents. The story looms large in Scottish history, and always has, but the focus of the narrative seems to have shifted. This became most apparent in the gift shop of the historical site, which held a surprising revelation about the current trends in Scottish historical focus. Apart from the universal Scottish gift shop items (tartan stuffed animals, scarves, fudge, and whisky), there was an entire section of the shop, covering at least a third of the space, devoted to all things Outlander. Books about the history of Scotland were pushed aside to make way for Outlander-themed pins and brooches, toy swords and cookbooks promising to bring any and all to Jamie and Claire’s hearth. It was a powerful symbol of the way in which international and popular media interests have come to guide the curiosity of the public in recent years.
Figure 2: Enric Miralles, The Scottish Parliament Building, 1999-2004, courtesy of the Scottish Parliament
Art is something which I have not yet really touched on. The general accord seems to be that the promotion of Scotland onto the world stage in cultural terms can only be good for its art, bringing more visitors to its museums and more attention to its architectural heritage. It is, admittedly, difficult to avoid pictures of great Scottish castles any time a computer is left untouched long enough to time itself out and start an international slideshow, and I am certain that more people than ever are familiar with the island location and charm of Eilean Donan Castle. The question in my mind is about what loses out during this shifting attention. 1745 may be a critical year in Scotland, but so were 1707, 1314, and 1997. Similarly, as beautiful as the portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie by Allan Ramsay is, it’s vital that it does not overshadow the work of the Glasgow Boys or Arthur Melville. The new Scottish Parliament Building is just as worthy of study as Doune Castle.
It is my dear hope that in the years to come, the world is able to use works like Outlander and all which it inspired as a doorway to explore all of what makes Scotland, and its art and architecture, beautiful and unique. It would be a true shame for some key periods in Scottish art history to be overlooked simply because they do not have a television score to accompany them. As complex, diverse, and varied this country is, I hope that one day people will think of more than Outlander when they think of Scotland.
Bibliography
Campsie, Alison. “Outlander triggered more interest in Scotland than ‘any other cultural artefact in recent years’.” The Scotsman. December 6, 2019. https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/outlander-triggered-more-interest-scotland-any-other-cultural-artefact-recent-years-1400495.
Glencross, Nina. “Outlander helps Scotland outshine rest of the UK when it comes to visitor attractions.” Daily Record. March 27, 2017. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/outlander-helps-scotland-outshine-rest-10107843.