42nd highlander regiment double breasted doublet in Crimea.....

[JAVIER SANCHEZ]

Speaking firstly of the Highland soldiers in general (not pipers) as far as I know those double-breasted doublets weren't worn during the Crimean War, but introduced afterwards. The coatee, worn since around 1800, was still used in the Crimea. (A coatee has tails in the back, and cut straight across in front.)

The famous photos of Crimean War veterans shows them wearing the new 1855 Doublets, but note that the doublets look brand-new, because they were!





That style Doublet- double-breasted with square buttons- was introduced in 1855 and only lasted one year, being replaced by single-breasted doublets with round buttons in 1856.

(The 1856-1868 style doublet)



Pipers are a different matter, and each Regiment was a law unto itself.

Pipers of the 79th (Cameron Highlanders) had been wearing dark green doublets since 1841.

Pipers of the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) had been wearing red doublets since around 1850.

I'm not sure of the exact timeline of uniform for 42nd pipers. In 1840 one can be seen in a red coatee as worn by the rest of the regiment. But at some point they seem to have been put into Black Watch tartan coatees.



Presumably when the entire Highland infantry was put into doublets in 1855 the Black Watch pipers were given Black Watch tartan doublets. As Peter mentions the kilts and plaids would have been the Black Watch Music Tartan.

Thanks for your answer.

It would be correct that, at the time of making the famous photos of Crimean veterans, Piper Muir photograph´s shows a double breasted doublet without inverness flaps, with Black Watch design, and kilt and plaid with the Black Watch Music Tartan??

[OC Richard]

Would it be correct that...the Piper Muir photograph shows a double-breasted doublet without Inverness flaps, in Black Watch tartan, and kilt and plaid with the Black Watch Music Tartan?

Muir's doublet clearly has the tashes/Inverness skirts. You can just see them under the dirk.

They show up better here, you can see the tashe, the button, and the loop of Soutache braid going to the button:



A terminology thing, only if a jacket has tashes (literally "pockets") AKA Inverness skirts all around is it a Doublet.

(Piper of the 93rd. At far right the shell jacket can be seen.)



Here's a colour representation of the short-lived 1855 doublet, note the dirk belt is worn under the doublet.

(Officers of the 93rd.)



Coatees have skirts in the back and are straight and waist-length in the front. They were worn in the army from 1800 to 1855, and revived a century later, in 1953.

(Pipers of the Black Watch.)



Then there are Shell Jackets, extremely popular in the mid-19th century, which end at the waist all around (no skirts of any sort).

They were worn as an Undress jacket in Victorian times (officer at right).

[JAVIER SANCHEZ]

Muir's doublet clearly has the tashes/Inverness skirts. You can just see them under the dirk.

They show up better here, you can see the tashe, the button, and the loop of Soutache braid going to the button:



A terminology thing, only if a jacket has tashes (literally "pockets") AKA Inverness skirts all around is it a Doublet.

(Piper of the 93rd. At far right the shell jacket can be seen.)



Here's a colour representation of the short-lived 1855 doublet, note the dirk belt is worn under the doublet.

(Officers of the 93rd.)



Coatees have skirts in the back and are straight and waist-length in the front. They were worn in the army from 1800 to 1855, and revived a century later, in 1953.

(Pipers of the Black Watch.)



Then there are Shell Jackets, extremely popular in the mid-19th century, which end at the waist all around (no skirts of any sort).

They were worn as an Undress jacket in Victorian times (officer at right).

Thank you to all. All your information and references are very useful. As soon I finish my work, I´ll show you. Thanks again....

[Ninehostages]

(I sure hope that the Highlanders aren't headed back into Crimea in the near future.)

[jf42]

Thanks for your answer.

It would be correct that, at the time of making the famous photos of Crimean veterans, Piper Muir photograph´s shows a double breasted doublet without inverness flaps, with Black Watch design, and kilt and plaid with the Black Watch Music Tartan??

Although a little late in the day, but since the thread has been revived, it seems worth pointing out a couple of things.

The photographs of Piper David Muir and his comrades of the 42nd RH were not made in the Crimea by Roger Fenton but by Robert Howlett and Joseph Cundall as part of their 'Crimean Heroes' collection, made at Aldershot in July 1856, during Queen Victoria's review of troops returned from the war. Hence the new uniforms.
https://collection.nam.ac.uk/results...ay=list&page=2

Regarding the jackets worn by pipers of the 42nd, a print from 1840 show the 42nd in Dublin with a piper in a red coatee (but his kilt in Governmen tartan). The unsophisticated coloured print of three Black Watch soldiers included in earlier posts (See below), showing a piper in green coat of Government tartan with his kilt presumably representing 'Music' tartan, is from Cannon's 'Historical Record of the Forty-second (Royal Highland) Regiment' published in 1845, so the change had happened by that time.



Oh, and that tall chap with the wee chap? He's the Sergeant Major. He worked for a living.