Officers, The Royal Horse 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 officers are pictured wearing the Albert Pattern full dress helmet that was adopted by the Household Cavalry in 1842. The helmet has a silver body and was richly decorated with gilt leaf. The helmet plate includes a laurel and oak leaf spray and garter bearing their motto. In the centre is an enamel cross. Above this was a large gilt Victoria crown. The helmets have red horse hair plumes, denoting affiliation to the Royal Horse Guards.

The tunic worn by the officers is blue with red facings. On their collars and cuffs there is an embroidered device of laurel and oak leaves on each side. Plaited gold shoulder cords and a gold cord aiguillette is worn on the right shoulder attached to a gold cord strap. They wear blue pantaloons with a broad red stripe tucked into black riding boots with spurs attached with chains.

They wear white leather pouch belts with a red flask cord along the centre, and attached is a highly polished black leather pouch with gilt fittings and backed with Morocco leather. They also have white gauntlets and white sword belts with their 1874 pattern swords hanging from the sword slings.

The horses have black leather bridles with a double row of scales on the head piece with brass shield ends and black lambskin saddle covers.

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