The British soldier of 1880 looked more imposing than any of his predecessors. He also fought in khaki, which told you where the century was going.
Quick answer. British Victorian military uniforms are known for the scarlet full dress tunic worn with the home service helmet (introduced 1878), the hussar busby for cavalry, and the Highland doublet with feather bonnet for Scottish regiments. From the 1880s khaki service dress joined scarlet full dress for colonial service, and by the end of Victoria's reign khaki was the main field uniform while scarlet remained for ceremonial duties.
The early Victorian pattern (1837 to 1855)
At Victoria's accession the British soldier wore the 1829 double breasted tunic in scarlet with white facings replacing the regimental colour. The Albert shako (bell topped) was issued in 1844. The whole look was more Prussian than the earlier Napoleonic silhouette and less distinctively British. The Crimean War revealed the uniform's weaknesses and led to the 1855 reform.
The 1855 tunic
After Crimea the single breasted tunic returned, with regimental facing colours restored at collar and cuff. This is the classic Victorian scarlet tunic familiar from a thousand regimental portraits. White or buff pantaloons with Wellington boots. The Albert shako continued until 1869, when it was replaced by the French style shako and then by the home service helmet in 1878.
The home service helmet
The 1878 home service helmet was a brass spiked helmet closely modelled on the Prussian pickelhaube. Blue cloth for the men, blue or black for officers, with a brass plate at the front showing the regimental badge. The helmet was for home ceremonial use only; on colonial service, lighter headgear was substituted. The spiked helmet became iconic of late Victorian imperial Britain and survives today on some ceremonial units.
Cavalry
Victorian cavalry kept more decoration than the infantry. Household Cavalry retained the brass helmet with horsehair crest, the cuirass for state dress, and the long scarlet (Life Guards) or blue (Blues and Royals) tunic. Dragoon Guards wore scarlet tunics with brass helmet. Hussars moved to the fur busby in dark blue with regimental coloured bags (red for the 11th, white for the 13th, and so on). Lancers kept the czapka and the plastron fronted tunic.
The whole cavalry arm was deliberately maintained as a decorative showcase of imperial Britain. Even on colonial service the cavalry wore full dress wherever possible, which contributed to high casualties but kept the arm visually distinctive.
Highland regiments
Scottish Highland regiments retained the kilt and feather bonnet. The Highland doublet was a scarlet jacket with regimental facings, cut to work with the kilt (short in the body, with Inverness flaps at the back). Kilt was in the regimental tartan. Feather bonnet with regimental ribbons, red hackle for the Black Watch. Hose and sporran completed the dress. Highland regiments on service in India and Africa often wore the trews (tartan trousers) rather than the kilt.
The khaki transition
From the 1880s Indian and colonial units wore khaki for field service, retaining scarlet only for ceremonial duties. The Boer War of 1899 to 1902 made khaki universal for the field. By the end of Victoria's reign, every British regiment held both a scarlet full dress uniform and a khaki service dress. The two patterns ran side by side for ceremonial and operational use respectively.
Common questions
Did Victorian soldiers wear scarlet in Africa?
Early in the century, yes. By the 1880s most African expeditions wore khaki or white tropical uniform. Scarlet appeared only for ceremonial events.
What is the home service helmet?
The spiked helmet issued to British infantry from 1878 for home service full dress. Modelled on the Prussian pickelhaube.
What is a Highland doublet?
The jacket worn by Scottish Highland regiments, cut short in the body with Inverness flaps at the back to work with the kilt. Usually scarlet with regimental facings.
Where can I see Victorian uniforms?
The National Army Museum in London, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum in Edinburgh, and most regimental museums across Britain hold outstanding Victorian collections.
Which Victorian uniforms survive today?
The Foot Guards still wear scarlet with bearskin, essentially unchanged since the Crimean War. The Household Cavalry still wears cuirass and helmet. The Highland dress continues in several regiments.