The 79th had been in Canada since 1825 and returned to Scotland where this scene is placed. The feather bonnet in this print is depicted as shaped like a bearskin, tall and well-formed, with foxtails hanging on the right side. The white plume on the left side is all white, as the white-over-red hackle had been discontinued since 1826. The 1834 Dress Regulations stipulated a bonnet for officers, of 14 inches depth, six black ostrich feathers, and a ‘skull of Tartan plaid’, however this print, as detailed as it is, shows no sign of the diced head-band, but goes to the trouble of showing the special badge at the base of the plume.
The scarlet jacket was double-breasted and plain-fronted since c1829, without the large green lapels covered in gold lace. The lace is confined to the front and sides of the green collar, and on the slashed flap on the cuff. The flap is based on scarlet cloth but covered with four gold-laced buttonhole loops and four gilt buttons. The coat-tails also have gold lace loops on the false pocket flaps and a small triangle of lace between the two back buttons on the waist. The white turn backs of the jacket were also edged with gold lace. This officer has gold bullion epaulettes with an embroidered thistle on the strap. Flank officers had wings with a grenade or stringed bugle badge instead of the thistle.
The officer’s kilt is the Cameron of Erracht tartan, reaching the knees and showing only a glimpse of the ‘belted plaid’ part on his left side. The background figures show how the fly is hooked to the right shoulder and loops up to the waist on the right side. Whether this is correct for the 79th at this time or guesswork on the part of the artist is unclear. The sporran is distinctive and is not very different from the one worn by the officer in the Heath print of 1825. The cantle is distinctive and supports a basically black fur purse that is half covered with white fur on the top part and having five tassels on coloured strings (see the detail below).
Next to the sporran is a dirk suspended from a black belt worn beneath the jacket, with circular regimental clasp. He is also armed with a steel-hilted broadsword that is kept in a black leather scabbard suspended from the white leather shoulder-belt. This print, published by Spooner between 1833 and 1836 (no.9 in the Upright series) was drawn by Mansion and Eschauzier and comes from the Brown Digital Repository.
