Sergeants, 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, and 93rd Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders), 1895 (c)

Glass negative (damaged), 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 sergeant on the left is from the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards. He wears a scarlet single-breasted tunic with white piping, and a sash worn over the top. The equally spaced buttons of the tunic and the distinctive grenade badge on his collars identify him as serving with the Grenadier Guards. The cuffs are round with a four buttoned slash made with gold lace (Class 2 tunic). His pillbox cap has a gold lace cap-band and a sergeants' grenade badge. His three sergeant's chevrons can be seen on his upper arm, and he wears a white belt with regimental insignia. His dark blue trousers are worn over black boots and he carries a swagger stick under his arm.

The sergeant on the right is from the 93rd (Argyll and Sutherland) Highlanders. He wears a white woollen drill jacket with a crimson sash over the top. His rank insignia just visible on his upper arm. The glengarry cap has dicing around it with the regimental badge on one side. He wears tartan trews, white gloves and hold a pace stick.

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