This is one of an excellent series of prints published
by W. Spooner of Regent Street c1832. The artists
were L.Mansion & L. Eschauzier. They are generally
refered to as the Spooner upright series and are a
well-known and important source of information to
those who study the history and development of
military costume.
Many of the light dragoon regiments prior to 1830
had blue jackets decorated with silver lace. These
were changed in 1830 to red jackets and gold lace.
The 13th already had gold lace so they were required
only to change to a red jacket. This was a similar style
to the blue jacket that preceeded it, being double-breasted
with two parallel rows of gilt buttons down the front.
It was waist length and tight fitting. At the back there
was a short tail with white turnbacks and a gold bullion fringe
just under the girdle. The girdle itself was three rows of
gold lace with crimson silk between. The collar, in the
regimental white facing colour was 3" high fastening at the
front, laced all round and decorated with russia braid.
The cuff was also white and decorated in a similar way
but becoming more elaborate for higher ranks.
Across his chest, from the left shoulder, is the pouch belt
which carries a silver flapped pouch. The belt is of gold
lace with a white silk stripe down the middle. On the front
are decorative silver chains and pickers.
His headgear consists of a black beaver shako, a few inches
shorter than the previous pattern, laced around the top and
a Maltese cross badge on the front (see picture of actual
shako). A white horse hair plume rise and droops at the front.
Gold caplines are attached to the shako with an impressive
festoon across the front and hang down, fastening to the jacket
on the left side, finishing in flounders and tassles.
The wonderful thing about these prints is their attention
to detail especially with respect to the horse furniture.
This figure is from a photograph which is not pin sharp,
but I have in my possession two original prints (etchings)
of other regiments (The Blues and 3rd Dragoon Guards)
which will be appearing on this website to show the detail
of the lace pattern etc. The bridles are also very closely
observed.
On the other side of the officer, hanging from a gold laced waist belt, are his sword and sabretache. The sword is the 1823
pattern, three bar hilt and slightly curved blade, in a steel
scabbard. The sabretache is shown in a seperate picture.
