Privates, The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1893 (c)

Glass negative, W 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 two privates on the right are in full dress comprising a scarlet tunic with blue facings (collar and cuffs) and a pair of white gloves. Their collars are decorated with the fired grenade badge of the fusiliers, and the regimental Castle of Inniskilling can be seen as a decoration on the boss of their bearskin caps. Blue cloth trousers are worn with black boots and gaiters. They have whitened Slade-Wallace equipment with pouches and a black valise on their backs. The soldier on the right has 4 chevrons on his lower left sleeve (18 years good conduct) as well as the crossed rifles of a qualified marksman.

The third private on the left wears the same tunic and trousers (without gaiters) but instead of a bearskin he wears a glengarry cap and a white pouch belt. All three men have rifles.

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