Tartan Color Schemes
It is common to see references to "Ancient" or "Modern" tartans. These names are confusing, as they seem to imply age, but in fact they do not. They refer to the color scheme of the tartan. Ancient colors are lighter in tone, in theory representing a piece of tartan that has faded with age. Modern colors are the darker and deeper hues. Sometimes a tartan is also woven in a version called "weathered" or "reproduction" which uses very washed out colors, representing a tartan that has been buried in a peat bog for a few hundred years. But none of these names refer to different tartans--only different color schemes. You can take any of the MacQuarrie tartans above and have it woven in Modern, Ancient, or Weathered.
Here are examples of the standard MacQuarrie tartan in all three
shades (note--the colors on this computer screen may not match exactly
the colors of the wool, and one mill's wool may not match the colors
of wool from another mill). Click on the image for a full size view.
You may download these images onto your own computer for personal use (tile
the image for your desktop wallpaper).
Modern
Ancient
Reproduction