Wednesday 8 August 2018

Redcoat Paul Sandby undated

This is a lovely image but the lack of a date puts people off. I think it's from the end years of the Seven Years War. What about you?

2 comments:

  1. Looks like the 1768 Warrant uniform judging by the shape of the hat and the backpack.

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  2. @nundanket

    It's not. If he's painting this in Britain, it's probably a uniform from before 1768: the coat is a pattern typical of the Seven Years' War. The war saw the adoption of white smallclothes (unofficially) since the Monongahela campaign (1755); you can see him wearing such breeches, though his waistcoat is red. The gaiter pattern was already a thing by the Seven Years War: there's a period portrait of Granby aiding a soldier from the 51st regiment who was ill, and the soldier has such a pair of gaiters.

    The backpack is likely the latest item: that puts it after 1760 (unless in America).

    If I had to guess, the soldier from 1760-1765. To the latter half of the Seven Years' War.

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