Private, 7th Middlesex (London Scottish) Volunteer Rifle Corps, 1895 (c)

Glass negative, W Gregory and Company, 51 Strand, London, 1895 (c).

The London Scottish Rifle Volunteers were founded in 1859, sponsored by the Highland Society of London and the Caledonian Society of London. Originally named The London Scottish Rifle Volunteers, it was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Lord Elcho, who decided to clothe the soldiers not in tartan but in the solid hodden grey common throughout Scotland. Originally the cloth was a light grey, but over time shades of brown and purple were introduced.

'Hodden' (a Lowland Scots word) means 'hidden' (English word). The cloth was used for hunting as well as cheap work clothes and later as a military uniform. Because of its cheapness and availability, hodden grey tunics were used by the Scottish Lowland Royal Regiments of Infantry before about 1690.

This soldier wears a kilt with sporran and is armed with a Martini-Henry rifle.

One of a collection of 278 glass negatives, British Army, 1895 (c)-1900.