Trooper, 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon 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 in this image wears the Dragoon Guards full dress helmet of the pattern introduced in 1871. This was made of brass and had a horse hair plume. The plume was of regimental colour (black over red) and was attached to the helmet by a spike with a four-pointed base. A large helmet plate covered the front of the helmet. This was a white metal star with the regimental number in the centre, within a garter bearing the title of the regiment. On a front band above the peak was a laurel leaf pattern. At either side of this was a rosette to which the chin chain was attached.

The full dress tunic is scarlet, with collar and cuffs of velvet facing colour (yellow). The tunic was piped down the front in the same material and colour as the collar and was fastened with eight regimental buttons. There was an Austrian knot on each cuff. The shoulder straps are yellow and carried the regimental designation. The collar, Austrian knot and shoulder straps were edged in ¼ inch yellow lace.

He is mounted on a horse with standard pattern military horse furniture, including a steel chain which is looped around the neck, which could be used to tether the horse when not in barracks. The trooper's 1885 pattern sword is attached to a horse shoe case on the side of the saddle.

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