This is an archive of the NMS website

Leaving Scotland

Discover why more Scots left their homeland during the 20th century than in any other period, and how they made new lives overseas.

In the last century, around two million people emigrated from Scotland. Many left in the aftermath of war or in times of economic hardship in search of opportunity.

The Scottish diaspora

Often, emigrants have a strong sense of Scottish identity. Today, over 25 million people across the world claim Scottish ancestry. In the last Canadian census, 4.2 million people described their ethnic group as 'Scottish'.

Scots abroad

Scots have made their mark in a variety of fields and have received many accolades and awards in their adopted countries.

"Diaspora tartan is from my series of digitally printed textile works which draw on my personal experience of migration from Scotland to Australia. "As a printed textile designer, I am particularly interested in the role of textiles as a cultural signifier of history, place and identity.

"As an emigrant Scot, I am interested in the role that traditional Scottish textiles, specificially tartans, have played in the construction of a Scottish identity and mythology, and how tartan imagery has migrated along with its mythologies to every corner of the world.

"Diaspora tartan originates from a combination of two metal tartan constructions. These units were transported to the departure lounge at Brisbane International Airport, Australia, and passed through the baggage x-ray machine. The textile design is constructed from the resulting x-ray imagery, and is digitally printed onto silk."