Victorian painting Uniform ID

[Jonathan]

Years ago, when my father still had his antiques shop, he had a wonder oil painting of an NCO. I originally posted it at Sword Forum International in 2006. If you read the thread, you can see we had many theories but did not reach an airtight conclusion, except that he might be a bandsman from the 2nd battalion of the Rifle Brigade . The NAM Curator of Uniforms, Medals, and Badges stated; "From your written assumptions and the detailing visible in the image forwarded I agree that the sitter was most likely to have been a Bandmaster with the Rifle Brigade. I would date the image to post 1866.

I consulted my colleague Mr Keith Miller who has reliably informed me that the sword is a Mameluke, carried by General Officers and Bandmasters; General Officers swords had crossed baton and sword on the hilt, as this is not present in this image it confirms that the Gentleman was a Bandmaster."

The curator suggested that I contact the Royal Green Jackets Museum, which I did, but I never received a response.

My father's shop is now closed, and the painting sold long ago, but my curiosity remains. The only images I have are those I harvested from the old SFI thread linked above. I am curious if members agree with the NAM's attribution or if there may be any further suggestions.

Thank you,
Jonathan

Some possibly useful information:

--The description from the previous owner of the painting; "Portrait of a Band Sergeant, possibly Rifle Regiment, seated half length, wearing uniform and holding a mameluke hilted sword. The medals are The Crimea Medal with three bars for Alma, Inkerman and Sebastopol, and the Turkish Crimea Medal. Original frame."

--The shako plate appeared to depict a panoply of musical instruments.

--The epaulette has a number 2 on it.

--Photos (I am not able to provide additional or larger images):





Shako:


Shako:


Epaulette:


And a sense of the scale of the painting:

[grumpy]

I have a problem with bandmaster: for most of the relevant possible period they wore no badge, only distinctive shoulder cords.

Many were civilians.

I also have a problem with the rank badge, in that he is clearly a SNCO, but Rifles SNCOs above sergeant would normally wear the ornate badge of their rank: wreath, bugle or bugles, crossed swords and crown all above the chevrons ....... possibly only on the right arm, but then the left should have had only three chevrons.

I am not a headdress man but an expert in such should date the shako for us.

I wonder if he is Volunteer Force, not a regular. For the VF, anything went, all bets were off!

[Stuart_Bates]

The middle medal would be the French Crimea medal.

French Crimea Medal.JPG (33.01 KiB) Viewed 960 times

Stuart

[Stuart_Bates]

Embroidered badges were introduced in 1865 and the Rifles adopted a black lambskin busby to replace the shako in 1871. This therefore dates the painting to 1865 - 1871. I share Grumpy's reservations on the chevrons, their placement and the lack of any indication of the sergeant's function e.g. drum-major etc. Although there do seem to be some chevrons and an embroidered device (could it be a lyre?) on the right sleeve.

The shako does not look like any British shako of the period in that appears to be quite cylindrical rather than having a sloping or tilted effect introduced with the 1855 pattern and continued with the 1861 and 1869 patterns. This could, of course, be the artist's interpretation or licence. The festoon to the shako seems anomalous but is reminiscent of the later versions of the one worn on the lambskin busby. The photo below, c1875, shows a much plainer "festoon" if indeed they are not more akin to cap lines.

Stuart

Rifle Brigade Busby c1875.jpg (342.15 KiB) Viewed 954 times

[Jonathan]

Thank you, Grumpy and Stuart. As Grumpy pointed out, volunteer battalions could equip themselves as they wished (including Continental styles) so could he be an NCO who retired from the Army and joined a local volunteer unit? If that is the case, can his uniform be linked to any specific unit? Does his collar offer any clues?

[Stuart_Bates]

I found this on http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Unifo ... story.aspx

"'Chevron' is an architectural term denoting the rafters of a roof meeting an angle at the upper apex. The chevron in heraldry was employed as a badge of honor to mark the main supporters of the head of the clan or "top of the house" and it came to be used in various forms as an emblem of rank for knights and men-at-arms in feudal days. One legend is that the chevron was awarded to a knight to show he had taken part in capturing a castle, town, or other building, of which the chevron resembled the roofs. It is believed from this resulted its use as an insignia of grade by the military.

The lozenge or diamond used to indicate first sergeant is a mark of distinction and was used in heraldry to indicate achievement. "

Whilst this site relates to the U.S. military the introductory section quoted above is interesting historical information.

As an aside, whilst I do not know anything about French uniforms I believe that the lozenge figured prominently. This is not to suggest that the uniform is French as the crown puts the lie to that. Just an observation.

Stuart

[grumpy]

so of course a chevron is point up, despite what most people think. The British use[d] the chevron for Good Conduct badges, and rank below the elbow: all the others are inverted chevrons: a nice bit of pedantry!

[jf42]

I am not quite sure from the detail of the shako: is there a shallow peak hiding there under the scarlet festoon/capline or could it be a simple cylindrical shako similar to the 1871 Rifles busby/shako (Mark One)? Is it clear whether this is a felt cylinder and not some other material?

It is interesting that the uniform has excess of scarlet detail, as might be appropriate for a unit associated with the 60th KRRC, for instance, but the chevrons on the sleeve don't have a similar scarlet backing.

[FROGSMILE]

Like fellow forum members I have been intrigued by the uniform depicted, having only spotted the thread last evening. After a night of rumination and some delving in my library I am inclined to agree with Grumpy's suggestion that the appearance of the uniform points towards Rifle Volunteers.

The style of shako, it's star shaped badge, worsted ball decoration and festoon, all indicate the type worn between 1861-69. The Austrian knots on the cuffs and frogging across the chest are both typical of those adopted by several of the Rifle Volunteer units raised between 1859 (when Jonathan Peel authorised the formation of the Volunteer Rifle Corps) and 1866, which was a period when the units surged and then after a period of settlement (which was reviewed under a commission by Viscount Eversleigh in 1862) either survived or fell by the wayside. If a Regular, then so much red decoration would have indicated the 60th (King's Royal) Rifles and yet the style of chevrons is distinctly that of the old 95th - Rifle Brigade. Regular riflemen at that time still had slashed cuffs and skirts and the frogged jacket for officers did not appear until 1868. The collar lozenge too, was not a feature of Regular's uniforms at that time. Both the shako badge and the chevrons appear to be silver in colour, rather than gilt, which would also indicate volunteers.

The badge of rank (3 chevrons surmounted by a crown on both sleeves) appears to be that of a First Class Staff Sergeant, but the form of such badges was decided by the VRC themselves and, for a great many years, they and their successors tended to do their own thing in that regard. If a bandmaster, it would be usual for the rank to be superimposed with some kind of arrangement involving bugles, lyres, and other devices so I am not convinced that the man depicted is a musician, The mameluke sword might be an affectation of that particular Corps (as riflemen always mimicked Hussars) and it is not impossible that what we are seeing is in fact the Sergeant Major of the unit concerned (note especially the large crowns).

All-in-all, I believe it most likely that this is one of the Rifle Volunteer Units and the man himself an ex-Regular, who with his campaign medals and obvious experience, has been given a position of authority in a newly raised unit whose investiture (and style of uniform) has perhaps been marked by an oil painting (no doubt paid for by some benefactor, as it would seem unlikely that a veteran from the ranks would have been able to afford such a commission). That said, it is unusual that he is wearing some kind of signet ring, which was generally the mark of a gentleman (albeit in this case it is not on his small finger), so it does seem possible that he is a former officer who has taken position in the unit as an NCO. One can imagine that in a wealthy area, full of the well-to-do, not everyone in that company could be an officer.

There were numerous units that were formed during the initial surge of enthusiasm, that did not last 10-years. One example in case was the 32nd Middlesex Rifle Volunteers, who wore a similar jacket, but in scarlet with black chest braiding. They were formed in 1860, but by 1869 had ceased to exist. Equally it is possible that the unit depicted did survive and eventually become a part of the Territorial Force. To identify which unit it was would require a record of all the uniforms ever worn by VRC units and I am not sure that one has ever been produced, nor indeed that the necessary records survive of every single Corps that ever existed. The number 2 on the shoulder strap would however, seem to be an intriguing clue, as every county/region that formed units had its own, '2nd' VRC.

[Jonathan]

Once again, thank you all for your input--useful and insightful as always! In my experience, pre-1881 (Childers Reforms) RV men are hard to research, so this chap would be difficult to find. One would have to pin down the uniform in order to proceed, I would think. Although the sword could be a prop, it could also be a presentation sword or perhaps the style preferred by the unit for its officers and NCOs. Although we are not much closer as far as IDing the sitter, I am happy to know that he is probably a volunteer. Now to find more about volunteer uniforms! Does anyone own Riflemen Form by Beckett? I am curious if he covers uniforms.

[grumpy]

Agree Mr F.

I really don't like paintings: totally at the mercy of the artist ......... even military artists publishing collections or postcards are so very variable: some do "atmosphere" at the expense of the detail we crave, others paint what they think ought to be there.

A photograph, however old, sees what it sees, although there is the "process" problem until c. 1925, and lack of colour until c. 1940. Even here we are at the mercy of props, and chaps swapping uniform items for a lark.

Fun though!

[FROGSMILE]

Once again, thank you all for your input--useful and insightful as always! In my experience, pre-1881 (Childers Reforms) RV men are hard to research, so this chap would be difficult to find. One would have to pin down the uniform in order to proceed, I would think. Although the sword could be a prop, it could also be a presentation sword or perhaps the style preferred by the unit for its officers and NCOs. Although we are not much closer as far as IDing the sitter, I am happy to know that he is probably a volunteer. Now to find more about volunteer uniforms! Does anyone own Riflemen Form by Beckett? I am curious if he covers uniforms.

Yes, I do have a copy of Riflemen Form, having hoped (like you) that it would contain details of uniforms. Regrettably it does not, although in fairness it does contain a full and comprehensive list of units.

[FROGSMILE]

Once again, thank you all for your input--useful and insightful as always! In my experience, pre-1881 (Childers Reforms) RV men are hard to research, so this chap would be difficult to find. One would have to pin down the uniform in order to proceed, I would think. Although the sword could be a prop, it could also be a presentation sword or perhaps the style preferred by the unit for its officers and NCOs. Although we are not much closer as far as IDing the sitter, I am happy to know that he is probably a volunteer. Now to find more about volunteer uniforms! Does anyone own Riflemen Form by Beckett? I am curious if he covers uniforms.

Jonathan, I think that there is a very good chance that the uniform in your painting could be identified via this resource: http://www.uniformsotw.com/products/cd17.htm

I do not know if the Forum could stretch to purchasing one of these CDs, but it would seem like a worthwhile expenditure if it could.