One of my biggest interests is the history in India from 1750 to 1850. Even my first figures which I asked a sculptor to make me, where Wellingtons Sepoys.
Over this time, I had several sculptors working on this range over the years. Many of the figures I used in our Cuddalore 1783 diorama. You see the photos from it on the link.
One of my ideas for future projects is the battle of Assaye. The question was always, how did the Mahratta infantry really look like. Usually they were described as simply white, as shown in this painting of the 19th Light Dragoons.
See here an extract of "European military adventurers of Hindustan from 1784 to 1803".
In a French book about De Boigne I found this contemporary drawing.
In the end, what you see here is in my eyes the cut of a British Sepoy uniform (sent from Calcutta). Maybe they worked over it in time, to make the jacket longer as we often see in Indian paintings. Usually the Indians also paint the British with uniforms like a frockcoat.
But here is another Indian painting, showing shorter uniforms. This time a longer shako (or Turban)
The question remains, is the last painting really from the period of de Boigne? For me it looks like in the late 1810s.
One thing is sure, the uniform of the regulars was red. And in my eyes the looked like Indian Sepoys.
If anybody can offer more inside into the subject, I would be glad to learn more about it.
De Boigne was actually Italian- Savoyard- see my forthcoming book on the Army of Hindustan and yes the uniforms of the Telinga battalions were red in the British style
AntwortenLöschenHi Andy,
Löschenthat sounds really interesting. I am looking forward to see your book! Thanks, that you aggree to the red Telingas:-)
and the Najib battalions wore blue Persian style dress. Some of the regular cavalry wore Green.
AntwortenLöschenIve got the same french book, on the colour version you can see that only de boigne and Perron are in red... This remain mystérious.... The relation of ferndinand smuth in 1806 telle that they were (clad and accoutred like yours"... What a puzzle! I think that you were early right to think that the colours were different by brigades (we know for sure that sombre's was clad in blue)... I's problematic
AntwortenLöschenIt should be better if we had a good reproduction of the battle of lakheri drawing. In the above book the reproduction in color isn't precise but they're are some red parts painted for:
AntwortenLöschen-gun carriages and maybe gunners also
-Officers (de boigne)
But the soldiers are (or seem) in plain (white ? Yellow ? light red ? ) uniforms.
A possibility could be that they didn't always wear red shirts but summer dresses (they wore white cotton shirts). In the sikhs wars, some regiments wore this kind of "summer" dress. In battle against the red coated british (like those of 1803) they may have adopted it. But this is entirely hypothetic.
A painted "portrait of de Boigne before patan" in the castle of Vitrais show him in red uniform and his persian cavalry guard with red mantles and blue uniformes. They handle a blue flag with a white cross. The real de boigne flag seems to be blue with a great long white cross and two golden tails.
Sadly I have no better photo from the battle of lakheri drawing, I don't have this book myself.
LöschenIn the book "swords for hire" I read, that de Boigne bought the uniforms from the EIC. It makes sense to wear white in summer. At least we are talking about seasoned troops. On the other hand, the British wore also red in this period.
You are right, in this drawing they are looking white. I will try to find it again, at least I know where I made the photo.