Trooper, 2nd Life 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 trooper is pictured wearing the Albert Pattern full dress helmet that was adopted by the Household Cavalry in 1842. The decoration is of brass or gilding metal, and the helmet plate included a laurel and oak leaf spray. In the centre is a white metal garter star with a brass cross, and a large Victoria crown above. The trooper in this image is not wearing a horse hair plume, which would have been white. The dress is field day order, for which the breastplate or cuirass was not worn.

The tunic is scarlet with dark blue facings and gold lace on the collar. Blue cavalry breeches with the regimental stripes can be seen - double wide red stripes with a thin stripe in between. He wears black riding boots, white leather gauntlets, and a white pouch belt with a blue flask cord along the centre.

His 1882 pattern sword hangs from a white leather sword belt with slings. The horse's bridle was of black leather with a white leather front and decorative brass scales on the headpiece.

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