Officer 1765


The 2nd Dragoon Guards officer in this detail from a painting of an officer giving charity to a sick soldier, is on foot and is not wearing spurs. The men in the background are also dismounted but look as if they are loaded up for a march. The uniform he wears is a good reference for uniform study as the round cuffs show the start of a style that remained part of cavalry uniform for several decades. The lapels reach as far as his waist and the buttons are decorated with the usual loops. In this case they are gold, although the reproduction is not good and the colour of the lace is unclear. The cords hanging from his right shoulder are tucked under his arm instead of hanging loose. They are the precursors of the plaited aiguillettes that developed in the 1820s. He has a crimson silk officer's sash over his right shoulder and his sword hangs from a hidden belt. The boots are unusual in that they have folded down tops, like jockey's boots. They don't look stout enough to cope with very much marching. His tricorn hat shows signs of evolving into the bicorn hat. It had a gold lace edge and a black cockade on the left side.


Regimental details | Uniforms


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by Stephen Luscombe