Unidentified Uniform ID Help

[mikehm]

Dear All,

I recently acquired the attached portrait via eBay. It is a carte-de-visite mounted on a thin piece of square-cut board with no backstamp, which suggests it dates from the first few years of the medium - say, 1857 to 1867. On the verso is noted, in copperplate, "Col. Hume". The subject is wearing a pillbox hat (cavalry? artillery?), a black-leather pouch-belt with whistle and chain and roughly-circular belt plate (light infantry? rifles?), and what appears, to my eyes at least, to be an ordinary infantry patrol jacket. The two miniatures he is wearing are an Indian Mutiny medal with a single clasp, and another, with the curly suspension seen on, for example, the Sutlej and India General Service Medals, also with a single clasp.

I have identified no fewer than fourteen officers of the British Army in the 1860s by the name of Hume, of whom twelve are ruled out on the basis of medal entitlement alone. The two remaining are Alexander Hume, a retired Major of the 101st, who was entitled to the Sutlej and Mutiny medals, each with a single clasp, and Edward Trevor Hume, Royal Artillery (late Bengal Artillery), who was promoted full Colonel on 1st July, 1885. He was entitled to the Indian Mutiny Medal with clasp for Central India and the IGS'54 with clasp for Umbeyla. It seems probable that this is Edward Trevor Hume (and there are portraits of him in the India Office collection which I can check), but can anyone comment on this uniform he is wearing? Is it credible as the uniform of the Bengal Artillery?

ATB

Mike

Edited July 2, 2014 by mikehm

[Mervyn Mitton]

Mike - welcome to GMIC. Brian and I had heard you were joining the Forum from Chris. We wish you well

and look forward to seeing your posts.

I hope some of our members will be able to help with this identification. I must say he is an unsavoury looking

character - his cross belt is dirty and why miniatures for a studio portrait ? Mervyn

[mikehm]

Thanks for the welcome, Mervyn. I am looking forward to hearing the views of the membership here about this uniform.

As for the question of miniatures for a studio portrait, all I can conclude is that his choice was an aesthetic one. If I may quote my own great-great-grandfather on the subject of the Crimea Medal: "By the way, I got my medal & clasps sent me yesterday. Such a frightful thing it is with Albert's filthy Coburg colours on the ribbon, have you seen any? They say that the colour of the ribbon is going to be changed. It is too frightful now. The only decent ones I see are little ones, I don't know where they come from; there is at any rate less of them than the Government ones, with the four clasps. They hang down all over one's coat."

[Mervyn Mitton]

I think a lot of the recipients thought that way. I have just put a nice Crimea group on City Coins Auction in

Capetown. Has the Balaclava Bar - he was in the Cameronians. Also Mutiny - Relief of Lucknow.

[jf42]

Bearing in mind that the Patrol Jacket was made Regulation in 1867 but was based on a style of light jacket that had been worn informally since at least the period of the Indian Mutiny, that may explain any anomalies in the specific details of the coat Hume is wearing. Might non-regulation 'mufti' also explain why he is weraing miniature medals?

[mikehm]

That does make perfect sense. One does tend to forget when using uniform details to identify regiments or individuals that for officers of the British and Indian armies, the word "uniform" has always had a rather flexible definition! I remain utterly bemused by the pouch-belt, though.

[peter monahan]

As JF points out, 'uniform' was a slippery word in those days and it was a long way from Whitehall to Delhi. Perhaps a local uniform variant, sanctified by practice if not regulation, or simply a personal affectation. Frustrating and fascinating at the same time!

[Odulf]

Hi Mike,

I have this CdV portrait of an officer of the 10th Foot, with a similar patrol jacket and the miniature with clasp for Lucknow, dating around 1860.

[peter monahan]

Nice one, Odulf.

[mikehm]

Yes, thanks for that, Odulf. Miniatures seem to have been worn quite often in studio portraits. Item 002 on my long-standing "Unidentified" list (see http://www.hargreave-mawson.demon.co.uk/NoID.html) even shows an officer (just conceivably Lord Lucan) wearing miniature ribbons, only. Item 022 on the same page shows what I am convinced must be an actor in costume wearing miniatures. Item 033 on the same page shows an elderly Naval Lieutenant in full dress, wearing miniatures.