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 mounted review order. This comprises 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 includes 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 horse hair plume is white.

The tunic is scarlet with dark blue facings, and gold lace on the collar. Over the top of the tunic, he wears a cuirass which consisted of a front and back polished steel plate shaped to fit the body. He has white leather buckskin breeches and black jack boots.

The trooper wears white leather gauntlets, and a white pouch belt with a blue flask cord along the centre. Attached is a highly polished black leather ammunition pouch.

The horse's bridle is black leather with decorative brass scales on the headpiece. The stirrup leathers are black, and the 2nd Life Guards had white lambskin saddle covers. His Martini Henry carbine sits in a leather bucket which hangs to his right-hand side.

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