Officer, Governor General's Bodyguard, Indian Army Cavalry, 1897 (c)

Glass negative, W Gregory and Company, 51 Strand, London, 1897 (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.

Small contingents of soldiers representing Colonial Forces came to the United Kingdom for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897, as well as participating in various Royal Tournaments during this period.

This negative shows an officer of the Governor General's Bodyguard, Indian Cavalry, in full dress uniform and apparently sitting in front of a ship. He wears a blue and white turban of regimental pattern, and a long red tunic. The tunic has a plastron, indicating the soldier was from an Indian Army Lancer regiment. Aside from the plastron, the tunic is made in the style of a kurta. The collar of the jacket has a decorative gold lace trim, and the shoulder cords and aguilletes are of gold braid. The cuffs and Austrian knots are edged with regimental gold lace. The officer also wears a gold lace belt. His buttons have 'G G B G' on.

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