Officers, 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers, 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 officer on the left hand side is pictured wearing stable dress. His pillbox forage cap is blue with a gold lace band and cross braid over the top. His stable jacket is dark blue with white facings - collar and pointed cuffs, edged with gold lace. Wide gold lace can also be seen running down the front of his jacket and along the bottom edge. A gold pouch belt with a scarlet central stripe is worn over the jacket. He wears dark blue overalls with a double white stripe on the outside seam, over black wellington boots with spurs attached. He wears a blue cloth pillbox forage cap with gold band and cross braid and his gold pouch belt has a white stripe along the centre. He has white gloves and his sword can just be seen hanging from a sword belt.

The officer on the right of the photograph wears a dark blue patrol jacket. It has dark blue mohair braiding and astrakhan fur edging. He wears blue pantaloons with a double white stripe on the outside seam, tucked into black riding boots with spurs attached. He also wears the same blue pillbox forage cap with gold band and cross braid as his fellow officer. The two pips on his shoulder cords show that he is a captain. He carries a riding whip tucked under his arm.

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