Corporal of Horse, 2nd Life Guards, 1895 (c)

Glass negative, W Gregory and Company, 51 Strand, London, 1895 (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 corporal of horse is pictured wearing mounted review order. This comprises a brass helmet with a laurel and oak leaf gilt spray with a garter star. Above this was a Victoria crown. The helmet for the 2nd Life Guards has a large white horse hair plume.

He wears a scarlet full dress tunic, with blue velvet facings, and a cuirass worn over the top. The cuirass consisted of front and back polished steel plate shaped to fit the body, secured at the shoulder by brass scales attached to studs on the front plate. The cuirass was only worn in mounted review order, with white buckskin breeches and black jack boots, as seen here.

The corporal wears plaited gold shoulder cords and aiguillettes. The sword slings were worn under the tunic when the cuirass was worn, and he has the 1892 pattern sword. The pouch belt had a flask cord of blue. The pouch, visible on his back, was of highly polished patent leather with the Royal Arms on the flap in brass. He wears white leather gauntlets.

The horse's bridle consists of brass scales on the head piece with a white buff leather front. The regimental bit boss bears the royal crest encircled with the words 'Peninsula' and 'Waterloo'. The saddle is covered with a white lambskin.

One of a collection of 280 glass negatives, associated with Gregory and Company, London, and F G O Stuart, 1892 (c)-1900.