Officer, 7th Middlesex (London Scottish) Volunteer Rifle Corps, 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 London Scottish Rifle Volunteers were founded in 1859, under the command of Lt Col Lord Elcho, who decided to clothe the soldiers not in a tartan kilt but in the solid 'hodden' grey cloth common throughout Scotland.

The facings on the collars and cuffs of this officer's hodden grey doublet are dark blue with gold braiding, as is the piping around the Inverness flaps at the bottom. As an officer, he also has gold shoulder cords. The Scottish thistle badge can be seen on his dark blue glengarry cap, collars, sporran cantle and plaid brooch. The sporran is made of horsehair with two black tassels. His sword and dirk can be seen attached to his leather belt.

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