Regimental Corporal Major, 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 corporal major wears undress uniform with a peaked forage cap unique to his rank by this time. It is dark blue with gold lace above and below a wide red band. A small Albert crown sits above the banding and there is gold bullion on the peak.

His red stable jacket has blue facings, with gold lacing above the cuffs, around the collar, and on the shoulder straps. In addition, the regimental corporal major also has thin gold piping down the front and lower edges of the jacket. A large Hanoverian Crown on the lower right sleeve above the chevron denotes his rank. He wears blue overalls with double wide red stripes with a thin stripe in between. He carries a cane and wears black wellington boots.

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