Three Officers 1802 - 04


Robert Dighton Senior and Junior produced several caricatures of officers of the 10th Light Dragoons in the first decade of the 19th century. P W Reynolds copied three of them on one page of his note books on military uniform. The uniforms range from Captain James MacDermott on the left painted in 1802, to Paymaster Richard Manby and Captain Frederick Joseph Darby who were painted c1804. The original Dighton painting of Darby depicts him in dark blue breeches, but Reynolds has changed them to white. The silver cuff decoration has increased in the 1804 figures and their tall caps are more tapered. Darby’s sabretache is probably the dress version carried in a cover. It only has two slings whereas Manby has what looks like a plain black undress sabretache on three slings. On close inspection, the central figure, Manby, has dark braid decoration on the top of his breeches. They all have dark tassels on the front of their Hessian boots.


Regimental Details | Uniforms


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by Stephen Luscombe