Corporal, 7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon 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 in this image wears mounted review order dress. The full dress tunic is scarlet, with collar and cuffs of velvet facing colour (black). The tunic was piped down the front in the same material and colour as the collar and was fastened with eight regimental buttons. There was an Austrian knot on each cuff. The shoulder straps are black edge with yellow and carried the regimental designation. The collar, Austrian knot and shoulder straps were edged in 1/4 inch yellow lace.

He wears the Dragoon Guards full dress helmet. This was made of brass and had a horse hair plume. The plume was of regimental colour (black over white) and was attached to the helmet by a spike with a four-pointed acanthus leaf base. A large helmet plate covered the front of the head dress. This was a white metal star with the regimental number or device in the centre, within a garter bearing the title of the regiment. On a front band above the peak was a laurel leaf pattern. At either side of this was a rosette to which the chin chain was attached.

A leather lance bucket can be seen attached to the stirrups to hold the base of the lance. The lance itself was 9 foot long, made of bamboo and fitted with a bayonet head held on with shellac. The pennon was red over white. The lance was introduced into the British Army in 1816, following the success of Polish lancer units during the Napoleonic Wars. Primarily issued to British lancer regiments, by the 1890s front ranks of Dragoon Guards regiments were also equipped with the lance.

The Martini Henry carbine is housed in a bucket behind his right leg. The white leather pouch-belt has a black pouch on the back. The waist-belt had slings for the sword but the sword scabbard was strapped to the saddle. He has a black sheepskin saddle cover.

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