Levée Dress Uniform 1885

The 23rd May 1884 is the date given in the regimental history when the Queen gave her approval for officers to wear ‘scarlet pantaloons’ at levées and in the evening when in full dress. The watercolour by Reginald Wymer is accompanied by a photo of a lieutenant in full dress, taken in 1885. The uniform changed very little between that date and the end of the 19th century but the busby is the pre-1888 tall pattern which confirms the period of the photo. Both images are included because the painting shows the red breeches which, before 1884, were dark blue to match the tunic. The gold stripe down the side of the breeches was different from the double three quarter inch stripes of the trousers. It was a single stripe but with Russia braid on each side. Wymer has made one or two errors. Firstly the Hessian boots should have gold gimp lace around the top edge. There is also a difference in the spurs. Straight neck gilt or brass spurs were worn in full dress but Wymer has painted steel spurs as for normal mounted duties.
The 10th Hussars had a slightly different pattern of dress tunic in that the uppermost netted caps at the end of the top row of gold chain gimp were placed on the point of the shoulder so that they could be seen from behind as well as the front. The photo shows this but the painting does not. However, the back view gives us an idea of the double line of gold chain gimp following the back seams of the tunic. Another error is the colour of the busby as light brown when the dress regulations state black to be the colour for hussar busbies. But it is possible that the dress regulations were not strictly followed as other images of the regiment show a dark brown busby.

Regimental Details | Uniforms