Corporal, 10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) 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 and is highly decorated with yellow worsted looping cord and brass ball buttons. He has a white leather pouch belt with black pouch, 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 being scarlet and the plume white. Unlike other hussar regiments, the caplines have short ends where the acorns do not loop up to the shoulder. The single chevron on his right arm indicates that he is a lance/corporal.

He wears dark blue pantaloons with a double yellow stripe down the outside seam, tucked into black riding boots with spurs attached. He holds his sword up, resting on his right thigh. The horse has standard leather military tack including leather wallets, folded blanket and black lambskin saddle cover. His carbine sits in its leather bucket which can be seen 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.