Ever resilient, kilts and bagpipes returned less than half a century later, chiefly because the burgeoning British Empire became more appreciative of the fierce fighting ability of the Highland Scots. The renaissance flourished upon Victoria's coronation in 1837, when the queen's love for Scotland and its customs, coupled with the rampant romanticism of the era, ushered in a craze for tartan.

"It was a phenomenon called 'Balmorality,' after Victoria's Scottish estate at Balmoral," says Sir Alasdair Munro Bt., owner of Alba Antiques in Quechee, Vermont, a shop specializing in tartan ware.

In the mid-1850s, tartan began appearing on household goods, such as letter openers, card boxes, snuffboxes, and needle cases. While red tartans predominate, green tartans are less common and therefore more expensive.

The most common patterns are Stuart, McBeth, McDuff, McGregor, McDonald, and Prince Charlie. "The name of the tartan was placed on the item in tiny gold letters, and you often see quaint discrepancies in the spelling of clan names," Munro says.

In typical Victorian style, most tartan ware was utilitarian as well as decorative. Some thread boxes featured ivory-inlaid holes through which thread could be reeled off and cut to the desired length. Tableware included cutlery handles, napkin rings, and eggcups.

The most popular items by far, however, were wooden boxes of various sizes and purposes. Originally, tartan patterns were hand-drawn onto the wood, a laborious and not very economical process.

Around 1840, W & A Smith of Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland, the largest producer of tartan ware, invented an inking machine that reproduced tartans on paper, which was then pasted onto the wood and given a dose of varnish. "As many as 36 coats were applied, which not only created a fine patina but also explains why today it's common to find so much tartan ware still in excellent condition," says Munro.

The popularity of tartan ware during the Victorian era spanned the globe, spreading throughout Europe and filtering through the vast reaches of the British Empire. "Ironically, you might have an expatriated Scot in Australia who would buy a tartan sewing box in Sydney to send to his dear old grandmother living in Glasgow, scarcely an hour from where the box first originated," Munro says.