From South Queensferry, Scotland, to Constantinople (1909)
Few postcards capture quite so many strands of history in a single piece of card. This attractive Clan Robertson Tartan postcard by Raphael Tuck & Sons “Scottish Clans” series combines Scottish clan heritage, the Highland scenery of Loch Rannoch, international travel, and a remarkable postal journey from Scotland to what was then the heart of the Ottoman Empire.
Published as part of Tuck’s popular “Scottish Clans” Series I, the card celebrates Clan Robertson Tartan (Clan Donnachaidh)and was posted from South Queensferry, Scotland, on 16 October 1909 before making its way to Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey).
Historical Note: South Queensferry was part of historic West Lothian when this postcard was posted in 1909. The town became part of the City of Edinburgh local authority area in 1975.
Clan Robertson Tartan – Clan History
The reverse of the postcard contains a short history of the clan:
“This clan is part of the Athole family, being called by Highlanders Clan Donnachaidh…”
Clan Robertson traces its origins to Donnchadh Reamhar (Stout Duncan), who lived in the 14th century. The clan’s traditional territory centred around Struan in Perthshire and the shores of Loch Rannoch.
The text on the card notes that one of the clan’s most famous members was Alexander Robertson of Struan, the Jacobite poet and chief who supported the Jacobite Rising of 1715. He was already an elderly man by the time of the later Battle of Culloden in 1746, yet he remained a colourful figure in Highland history.
The clan badge is correctly identified as the fern, which appears prominently in the postcard design.
Postcard Message
“I never received your letter at Paris and have just received your letter at Glasgow. I am writing soon. This is the national tartan of our clan. Kindest regards…
David Robertson”
Name, Address & Sender
Recipient: Mons. J. Joannides
Recipient Address: Banque D'Athènes, Constantinople
Sender: David Robertson
Publisher & Series
Raphael Tuck & Sons “Oilette” [Regd.] Postcard 9401
Art Publishers To Their Majesties The King & Queen
Context
At first glance this is simply a decorative clan postcard. Looking closer, it becomes something more:
- A souvenir of Clan Robertson heritage.
- A view of Loch Rannoch, Perthshire & Kinross.
- A surviving example of Raphael Tuck’s celebrated Clan Series.
- Evidence of Scottish connections stretching across Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.
- A tangible piece of postal history linking South Queensferry and Constantinople in 1909.
More than a century later, it still tells a story of ancestry, travel, and communication in the age when postcards were the social media of their day.