The infantry sergeant on the left shows the form of uniform that had developed in the closing years of the eighteenth century. The coat, now termed a jacket, was closed from neck to waist. It was long‑waisted with short tails that still retained pocket flaps, laced and buttoned. The collar was high and edged with lace, and the cuffs followed the 1768 pattern with four buttons and lace button‑holes.
This figure, along with the others on the plate, comes from a chart of the British Army in 1803 prepared by Charles Philip de Bosset. The sergeant’s regiment is not identified, but he wears yellow facings, which the 25th had (in a darker shade) until 1805 when, on becoming a Royal regiment, they adopted blue. He also has bastion‑shaped, plain white button‑hole loops evenly spaced — a feature worn by the 25th.
Of particular interest is the new indication of rank on his upper sleeve. The three white chevrons for sergeants were introduced in 1803, and the artist, J. A. Atkinson, has turned the figure sideways to show this innovation. The stripes were worn on both sleeves. A white leather shoulder‑belt for his sword crosses the right shoulder. He did not carry an ammunition belt on the left shoulder like the lower ranks, as he was armed with a spontoon. This spear replaced the sergeant’s halberd in 1792 and continued in use with battalion company sergeants until 1830.
The sash is crimson with a central yellow stripe, tied on the left side. His shako represents the change made in 1800 when battalion companies exchanged their bicorn hats for the new ‘stovepipe’ shako. It has a universal‑pattern brass plate on the front and a white‑over‑red plume. The earliest versions were lacquered; from 1806 they were made of felt. Grenadiers wore a white plume and the light company a green one. The white breeches button at the knee, and the long black gaiters button from knee to ankle.
The infantry private on the right is shown in marching order with knapsack and rolled greatcoat. His black ammunition pouch is supported by a white belt on the left shoulder, and the socket bayonet is carried in a frog on the white belt over the right shoulder. The other two figures on the plate are a grenadier of the 2nd (Coldstream) Guards and a gunner of the Battalion Artillery.
