Officer and Other Ranks 1856

A coloured sketch by Percy Sumner which he has inscribed: 50th Foot 1856 - based on woodcut in ILN (Illustrated London News) 'Evacuation of Crimea'. Men partly in tunics and partly in old coatees, - Enfield Rifles correct - Headdress must be new shako with white cover.
The officer in front wears the new 1855 tunic which is double breasted and has a skirt which should be 14 inches long for an officer of 5' 9". A half inch of skirt was added or subtracted for every inch difference of height of the officer. The crown on his collar, and single row of gold lace, denotes the rank of lieutenant. The crimson sash which, since the 1780s, was worn round the waist, is now hung from the left shoulder. The 1855 dress regulations stipulate that the white waist-belt for the sword is to be worn in all orders of dress. This is re-iterated in the 1864 dress regulations but by the 1870s a gold lace belt was worn in levee dress.
The forage cap is the pre-1855 type with a soft top and sloping peak. The post-1855 forage cap was stiffer and had a flat horizontal peak.
The other ranks are wearing, in some cases, the old coatees, and in the case of the right-hand man, the new tunic. As Sumner states in the note, the shakos look as if they are the 1855 type which were one and a half inches shorter than the previous Albert shakos. The trousers are probably summer trousers which were blue with a red stripe. Winter trousers were Oxford mixture. White linen trousers were reserved for hot climates.

Uniforms | Regimental Details