Herald's coatee, Viceroy of India's Staff, 1877

Scarlet wool fabric with blue silk velvet facings and gold lace.

A coatee worn by one of the heralds at the 'Imperial Assemblage' in Delhi, at which Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India, on 1 January 1877.

The British Government revived the Moghul titles of Emperor and Empress of India in 1876 in order to distinguish Queen Victoria's rule from the many 'lesser' rulers who nominally controlled parts of British India. More importantly, the 'Imperial Assemblage' in Delhi marked the end of the transfer of political rule from the British East India Company to the Crown, a process that had started in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859).

The Viceroy at the time was Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton (1831-1891) who held the post from 1876 until 1880. Lytton's tenure as Viceroy also included the Great Famine (1876-1878) and the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880).