Black Watch Tartan 1750's

[figheadair]

To those who asked, the white wool or linen waistcoat was mandated as an article of uniform for all British regiments (replacing the red wool waistcoat) in the Royal Clothing Warrant of 1768. The only exception would have been that the waistcoats of each regiment's light infantry company (which were added to each regiment's establishment in 1773) were to be of red wool, laced with regimental lace.

Jerry, I think I'm right in sayong that it was only Line Regiments and that Volunteer and Fencible regiments, or some at least, continued to wear red faced waistcoats after 1768?

[Orvis]

Jerry, I think I'm right in sayong that it was only Line Regiments and that Volunteer and Fencible regiments, or some at least, continued to wear red faced waistcoats after 1768?

Peter - As far as I've been able to determine, the Royal Clothing Warrant applied to all Crown forces, regulars or others. From what I've seen in portraits from the post-1768 period, Volunteer and Fencible regiments emulated (for the most part) with what the regulars were doing. Of course, that isn't to say that there might not have been a few maverick regiments that wore red waistcoats or other departures from the 1768 Royal Warrant.

[figheadair]

Peter - As far as I've been able to determine, the Royal Clothing Warrant applied to all Crown forces, regulars or others. From what I've seen in portraits from the post-1768 period, Volunteer and Fencible regiments emulated (for the most part) with what the regulars were doing. Of course, that isn't to say that there might not have been a few maverick regiments that wore red waistcoats or other departures from the 1768 Royal Warrant.

Jerry, one such maverick example - Strathspey Waistcoat, or perhaps the whole unit wore it?

[OC Richard]

Sorry to continue this waistcoat sidetrack, but I thought I came across something somewhere about regiments with buff facings wearing buff waistcoats rather than white? Don't remember.

About John Singleton Copley having access to various uniform items, I would think that Hugh Montgomerie would arrive dressed for his portrait in the clothes he wanted to be painted in.

Clothes conform to the body and hang in a specific unique way, and you can't paint a sitter wearing one outfit and stick on another, like a cut-out paper doll. It would be obvious and look bad.

What a portrait painter can do, and I've done it myself, is do head studies of the subject but paint the body from a model wearing the outfit the subject wants. It's tricky to do well; the model has to have the same body as the portrait subject, and you have to get the pose and the lighting exactly the same.

Is there evidence that this was done with the Hugh Montgomerie portrait? More common, easier, and giving better results would be for the subject to be dressed in the clothes he will wear in the final painting.

[Orvis]

Peter - I'm no expert on British Army uniform regulations after the 1780s, and the waistcoat you point out was for an early 1790s fencible regiment, so I presume that the Colonel could have dressed them in red waistcoats had he wanted to (with the approval of the Board of General Officers had the regiment been taken into regular service, as Grant's 97th Regiment was. Note also the lack of regimental lace, which would have been present had the regiment been called into regular service. It was not unusual for waistcoats to have different colored back panels (or in this case, tartan) in the 18th/early 19th centuries, since the waistcoat would have been worn under a regimental coat.

In answer to the earlier question, post-1768 regular regiments which had buff facings did indeed have buff-colored waistcoats and breeches. I'm not sure when this was discontinued, but I presume it was dropped sometime in the early 19th century.

[Luke MacGillie]

In my study of Highland officers of the Pre 68 era, wearing a waistcoat that was IAW the regulation is the must uncommon things.

So here are the ones that have red waistcoats, as they were supposed to have.

As I will attach images, will probably have to make multiple posts......


78th Regiment:

Ensign Malcolm MacPherson.



Commander of the Sutherland Highlanders:



An officer of the 114th Highland Regiment: More on this later......

[Luke MacGillie]

Non Standard Waistcoats:

Starting with the 64th. Both Col Loudoun and En Ried wear tartan waistcoats, but perhaps not the same tartan.....





In the 77th: We have these images of Officers wearing White waistcoats, but also we have the Tailor bills of both Maj and En Grant (Father and Son) having their regimentals made, that specify both white waistcoats, but also lapels. So how updated these images of members of the Montgomery family are, that is up to debate. Even the Diced bonnets could be contemporary t the regiments North American Service. Also see the sketch made prior to the miniture, its shows an aigilette, so perhaps the only update was the change to epaulettes on the Col's painting?