Charles Hamilton Smith published this print in March 1815. The figures represent three different regiments; the mounted figure at the back on a chestnut coloured horse is a sowar of ‘the Bengal Regular Cavalry’ although no number is specified. The mounted figure in a red jacket is of the Governor General’s Bodyguard, and the standing figure in darker blue is in the Java Volunteers. Despite the difference in uniforms the equipment and other items are similar to all the mounted units under British EIC control. The jacket of the Light Cavalry sowar is French grey, a dusky pale blue. This colour was adopted by all the regiments in the Bengal Light Cavalry in 1809 but the material was not immediately available so they were probably not wearing these jackets until 1811. Initially the facings were red but changed to orange within a year. The sowar here, in this 1815 print shows the jacket in French grey with orange collar. A chart drawn by Hamilton Smith in 1814 shows all eight regiments with the same orange facings. This is reproduced below.
While the uniforms and weapons are based on British army patterns the headgear is a strange bulbous item that bears no resemblance to anything worn by native Indians at that time. There is no chin strap to hold it on the head although some other prints and paintings show a strap or chin chain. This type of headdress was worn, with varying embellishments, by all Indian ranks, while British officers wore a shako. The boots at this stage were jack boot style, coming above the knee at the front.
