Various Officers 1828

The date of this print is 1828 but it had been altered after it was originally produced in 1823. It was drawn by W Heath, aquatinted by J Gleadah and published by S W Fores of Piccadilly. The right hand figure is an officer in levee dress, or full dress. He wears baggy cossack trousers which are green with a broad gold lace stripe. The sabretache is green velvet faced and is suspended, with the curved mameluke sword, from a belt beneath the gold waistbelt. His heavily laced scarlet jacket has long tails, for full dress and was worn with gold aiguillettes on the right shoulder, a feature that continues in the household cavalry to this day. An illustration of the same uniform in the Gentleman's Magazine of Fashion 1827 shows gold epaulettes on the shoulders. The bicorn hat is now worn fore-and-aft, with red and white falling feathers and gold tassels at the corners.
The officer standing on the left of the picture is dressed for everyday duties with the helmet that now has a large bearskin crest. The jacket is an undress stable jacket, devoid of the lateral rows of gold lace but with lace down the front edges and around the green velvet collar and cuffs. Heavy gilt shoulder scales were worn at this time but only in undress. His undress cossacks are light blue but still have a gold stripe whereas the central officer in a dark frockcoat has green stripes on his trousers. The undress sabretache has the Maltese cross badge and this can also be seen on the sabretache and pouch of the private standing with his back to us on the right. The central figure is in his undress frock-coat with shoulder scales, and a dark blue peaked forage cap with gold cap-band. His straight sword is kept in a black leather and gilt scabbard whereas the left-hand officer has a steel scabbard under his arm. This indicates that he is the adjutant. The other ranks in the middle distance wear grey trousers while the men in the distance are in white summer trousers, although their uniform is indistinct.

Regimental Details | Uniforms