Kit Inspection, Coldstream Guards, 1893 (c)

Glass negative, William Gregory and Company, 51 Strand, London, 1893 (c).

This image comes from a collection of glass plate negatives associated with William Gregory and Company. The negatives depict the British Army, including some members of the colonial forces, 'at home' in Britain during the 1890s.

As well as being intimate portraits of soldiers from this era, the images provide detailed illustrations of uniforms worn during the high point of military tailoring.

The eight privates are pictured wearing scarlet single breasted tunics. The buttons of the tunics, grouped in pairs, identify the regiment as the Coldstream Guards. The cuffs are round with a four buttoned slash. The blue collars, cuffs and shoulder straps are piped white. The collars are also decorated with the badge of the Garter Star. The blue cloth overalls have scarlet side-stripes, and gaiters are worn covering the bottom of their overalls and the tops of their boots. They are pictured wearing bearskin caps and white leather Slade-Wallace equipment with various pouches. All of their other equipment, including rifles, mess tins, brushes etc are laid out neatly on the floor in front of them.

The inspecting warrant officer is wearing a peaked forage cap with gold band and a scarlet tunic. The blue cloth trousers have scarlet side-stripes. He points his cane towards one private who is having the soles of his boots inspected. Behind him stand a corporal, wearing a white wool drill jacket and pillbox cap.

One of a collection of 280 glass negatives, associated with William Gregory and Company, London, and Francis Godolphin Osbourne Stuart (1843-1923), 1892 (c)-1900.