Gun and team, K Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, 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 soldiers are all wearing full dress, with caps (busby) made of black fur with red cloth bags covering the top of the caps and extending down the right side. The white plumes are made of horsehair. The caps are held on with a chin chain of black leather, and yellow cord caplines loop round onto the breast.

Their highly decorative hussar-style tunics are dark blue with red facings on the collar. They have several buttons and double cord braids of yellow worsted across the front with a loop at each end. Dark blue pantaloons with a broad red stripe down the outside seam are worn tucked into black riding boots with spurs attached. They have white leather pouch belts and pouches.

Three of the soldiers manage a pair of horses each whilst the other two soldiers sit in the gun carriage behind. The horses have standard leather military tack with horseshoe cases, wallets, and folded cloaks.

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