The 19th century was the great age of parade dress. Armies competed to impress at home and intimidate abroad.
Quick answer. 19th century parade dress uniforms reached their elaborate peak between 1860 and 1900. Every major army fielded multiple orders of dress: full dress (most elaborate) for parade and state occasions, undress for daily officer wear, service dress for field use. The full dress uniform typically included an elaborate headdress (bearskin, cuirassier helmet, czapka, feather bonnet), heavy braid or embroidery, bright regimental facings and ornamental equipment (plumes, pouches, sabretaches).
British parade dress
Britain's full dress uniform in the late 19th century combined the scarlet tunic (infantry) or regimental tunic (cavalry) with the home service helmet, bearskin, busby or czapka depending on regiment. Foot Guards wore scarlet with bearskin. Household Cavalry wore cuirass and brass helmet. Hussars wore dark blue dolman and busby. The whole scheme produced the Changing of the Guard and Trooping the Colour that remain tourist attractions in London today.
French parade dress
French parade dress combined the famous dark blue tunic, red trousers and kepi (line infantry), the specific colours of the chasseurs (dark blue with yellow trim), zouaves (red fez and baggy trousers) and cavalry regiments. The Garde Imperiale under Napoleon III and later the Garde Republicaine wore cuirassier style with cuirass, brass helmet, long tunic. The French parade in Paris on 14 July became one of the most elaborate state parades of the 19th century and continues as the Bastille Day parade today.
Prussian and German parade dress
Prussian parade dress centred on the pickelhaube (spiked helmet) with regimental plate, dark blue tunic with regimental facings, grey wool trousers. After the unification of Germany in 1871, the pickelhaube became the common German infantry headdress with regional variations. Guard regiments wore more elaborate dress with Litzen collar lace. Hussar regiments (particularly the Death's Head Hussars of Danzig and Posen) kept the full braided dolman and fur busby. The parade of the Imperial German Army in Berlin became famous worldwide.
Austrian Hungarian parade dress
The Habsburg empire fielded perhaps the most visually diverse military dress in Europe. German regiments wore the dark blue tunic with regimental facings. Hungarian regiments wore the famous Attila (short braided jacket like a hussar dolman) over sky blue breeches with crow's foot embroidery. Hungarian hussar regiments wore full dolman and pelisse. Tyrolean Kaiserjaeger wore grey tunics with green facings. Croatian border regiments wore distinctive red and blue dress. The Austrian army parade at the Hofburg in Vienna was one of the most varied in Europe.
Russian parade dress
Russian parade dress combined the dark green tunic (line infantry) with regimental facings and the Imperial Russian shako or pickelhaube variant. Guard regiments wore more elaborate dress with heavy lace. Cossack regiments wore full cherkeska dress with gazyrs. The Imperial Russian Army parade at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg was perhaps the largest ceremonial display in Europe. The Russian preference for white winter wool coats also produced some of the most striking parade impressions of the 19th century.
The end of coloured parade
The move to drab field uniforms in the first decade of the 20th century separated parade dress from field dress permanently. Full dress became ceremonial only. In most armies the elaborate 19th century parade uniforms disappeared with the First World War, surviving only in a few guards and ceremonial units. In Britain the Household Division preserved its late Victorian full dress intact; most other British Army regiments retained ceremonial scarlet in modified form. In France, Germany and Russia the elaborate 19th century dress was largely abandoned by 1920.
Common questions
What is full dress?
The most elaborate order of dress for a 19th century army, worn for parade and state occasions. Distinguished from undress (daily officer wear) and service dress (field use).
Why did armies compete on parade dress?
Military prestige in the 19th century was partly measured by the visual impressiveness of the army at parade. The dress uniform signalled the quality of the state behind it.
What is an Attila?
The short braided jacket worn by Austrian Hungarian regiments, essentially a hussar dolman cut for the national pattern. Named after Attila the Hun as a nod to Magyar origins.
Did parade uniforms survive the Great War?
Mostly no. The empires that fielded the most elaborate parade dress (Russia, Germany, Austria Hungary) collapsed, taking their uniforms with them. Only Britain and a few ceremonial units in other countries preserved the 19th century full dress.
Where can I see 19th century parade dress today?
The Changing of the Guard in London, the Bastille Day parade in Paris, the ceremonial of the Spanish and Danish royal guards and various smaller ceremonial units all preserve elements of 19th century dress.