Privates, 10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars, 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 two privates in this image are wearing full dress uniform. Their tunics are made of blue cloth and are highly decorated with yellow worsted looping cord and brass ball buttons. They have white leather pouch belts and wear white gloves.

Their full dress cap (busby) was inspired by Hungarian uniforms and made of black beaver fur; a type of fur that was highly desirable in Eastern Europe. The caplines, bag lace and front boss are of yellow worsted cord, with the bag itself being scarlet and the plume white.

They wear dark blue overalls with a double yellow stripe down the outside seam, over black wellington boots with spurs attached. Their swords are attached to the slings of their white leather sword belts.

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