Mess vest, officer, 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot, 1851 (c)

When the shell jacket was first introduced for officer use, it was popularly employed as a mess jacket. This was increasingly worn open, allowing a fancy regimental waistcoat to be worn underneath. This fine example belonged to Lieutenant Robert Graham Polhill, who joined the 95th Regiment in June 1848 and was killed at the Battle of the Alma (1854).