| This photograph shows some interesting
elements.
We know that this gentleman in a Field
Officer thanksto his elaborate cuff braiding. His badges of rank,
worn on the collar, cannot alas be distinguished.
We know that he belongs to the 19th
Hussars as he is sporting the early full dress sabretache (in 1874
the 19th Hussars will be awarded the Battle Honours of the Old
19th Light Dragoons, and the "19H" symbol will be
replaced by the Elephant) :
There is however a puzzling element
with the Busby ; the plume is white as should be, but the busby
bag should be white - which certainly is not the case here.
A collector has hand marked "19th
Hussars 1863-5" on the back of the photograph ; the photo
certainly dates from the early 1860s, as the London Stereoscopic
& Photographic Company's backplate boasts of being "Sole
Photographers to the International Exhibition 1862".
The 19th Light Dragoons, raised in 1858
from the former East Indian Company Cavalry, had been changed to
Hussars in 1862. That carte-de-visite may date from around the
time the busbies were first provided.
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