Corporal, 13th Hussars, 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 lance,corporal in this image wears full dress uniform. The tunic is made of blue cloth with white facings on the collar, and is highly decorated with yellow worsted looping cord and brass ball buttons. He has a white leather pouch belt and wears white gloves.

The full dress cap (busby) was inspired by Hungarian uniforms and made of black beaver fur; a type of fur that was highly desirable in Eastern Europe. The caplines, bag lace and front boss are of yellow worsted cord, with the bag itself and the plume being white. The single chevron on his right arm indicates that he is a lance corporal.

He wears dark blue pantaloons with a double white stripe down the outside seam tucked into black riding boots with spurs attached. He holds his sword up, resting on his right shoulder. The horse has standard leather military tack including leather wallets, folded blanket and black lambskin saddle cover. His recently issued Lee Metford carbine sits in a leather bucket by his right thigh.

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