A Georgian Officer's uniform of the 7th Hussars

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A Georgian Officer's uniform of the 7th Hussars

The extensive and extremely handsome uniform of Cornet Robert Doyne, as follows: deep-blue Dress jacket, edged and trimmed with gold Russia and French braid, the fronts richly ornamented with loops of gold chain gimp interspersed with Russia braid, and five rows of buttons; companion blue pelisse, similarly trimmed and decorated, the collar and cuffs of smooth dark-brown fur, the jacket edged with the same material and complete with its cords; a pair of deep-blue trousers, the outer seams decorated with 1¼in. gold "Broken Bias" lace (foot-straps now removed); a pouchbelt of 1½in. gold regimental lace on scarlet cloth backing, with gilt buckle, slide and tip, the latter bearing the CR cypher of Queen Caroline, and matching red leather pouch with scarlet cloth flap, with a foliate border, and crowned CR cypher, all in gold embroidery; a narrow gold-laced swordbelt with gilt snake clasp, complete with sword slings and sabretache-slings (but lacking the central element); a fine red leather sabretache with scarlet cloth flap edged on three sides with 2¼in. regimental lace and bearing an exceptionally rich crowned CR cypher in gold embroidery; an unusual busby of short brown fur, with long narrow scarlet cloth bag, the cap made with minimal stiffening to the crown only, and without cords, boss, chinstrap or provision for plume, the internal Morocco leather head-band forming a series of triangles looped to permit the fitting of a drawstring; together with a sketch by an amateur hand, probably in original pencil, bearing printed inscription Officers' Mess Room, 7th Hussars 1830 The Regiment having returned from a Field-day Portobello Barracks, Dublin Herbert Wykeham fecit, late 7th Hussars, depicting four officers in various orders of dress, and a dog, the names of the officers (Bathurst, Dorchester, Houston and Crofton) inscribed below in ink, 10in.x11in., in a glazed frame

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Lot Essay

While the fur trimming on the pelisse is of the correct colour for the 7th Hussars, its unusually short smooth texture suggests that it may possibly be an old replacement.

The correct headdress for Hussar officers at this date was of course the bell-topped shako, and there is no mention in the 1822 or 1826 Dress Regulations of a fur busby. It can only be surmised that this cap was an unofficial regimental item, possibly for wear with the Undress jacket for routine mounted duties.

This uniform was worn by Cornet Robert Doyne, who was commissioned into the 7th Hussars in 1825. He resigned his commission some time before 1830. He is depicted in uniform in the portrait offered in the following Lot, and was also painted (holding a bell-top shako) by Richard Deighton. The ability to date this uniform precisely to the period 1825-1830 establishes beyond doubt that the 7th Hussars, as a "Queen's" regiment, continued the wear the cypher of Queen Caroline after her death in 1822.