Corporal, 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, 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 wears the Dragoons full dress helmet. This is made of white metal and has a horse hair plume. The plume is of regimental colour (white) and is attached to the helmet by a spike with a four-pointed base. A large helmet plate covers the front of the head dress. This was a brass 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 yellow facing colour. The shoulder straps are yellow and carry the regimental number in red. He wears blue pantaloons with a yellow stripe down the outside seam, tucked into black riding boots with spurs attached. He carries the 1868 pattern bamboo lance in his right hand, which had a swallow tailed pennon on the top coloured red over white. It sits in a leather bucket attached to the stirrup. His carbine also sits in a leather bucket attached to the saddle.

He has white leather gauntlets, sword belt and pouch belt. His horse has standard leather military tack, with a pair of leather wallets at the front and a black lambskin saddle cover.

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