The 1880s and 1890s produced the most elaborate British military dress since Waterloo. The empire was at its peak and so was the uniform.
Quick answer. Late Victorian military uniforms (1878 to 1902) centred on the brass spiked home service helmet introduced in 1878 for infantry. The scarlet tunic continued for ceremonial. Cavalry retained hussar, lancer and dragoon full dress. Highlanders wore the kilt and feather bonnet. Colonial service dress moved toward khaki from the 1880s. By the end of Victoria's reign the British Army held both the most elaborate ceremonial dress in its history and the most practical field dress.
The home service pattern
The 1878 regulation gave British infantry the brass spiked home service helmet (modelled on the Prussian pickelhaube). Blue cloth over cork for the men, blue or black for officers. Brass plate at the front with the regimental badge. Spike or ball at the top. Chain scales on either side. The scarlet single breasted tunic continued, with regimental facings restored at collar and cuff. White or buff pantaloons for parade. Wellington boots. The whole look was imposing and remains iconic of Victorian imperial Britain.
Cavalry at ceremonial peak
Late Victorian cavalry wore some of the most elaborate dress uniforms in British Army history. Household Cavalry: cuirass, brass helmet with horsehair plume, long scarlet or blue tunic. Dragoon Guards: scarlet tunic with brass helmet. Hussars: dark blue dolman with gold braid, fur busby with regimental coloured bag. Lancers: scarlet tunic with regimental plastron, czapka with regimental plume. These uniforms photographed brilliantly in the new medium of photography that flourished in the 1880s and 1890s.
Highland regiments
Scottish Highland regiments wore full Highland dress for parade: scarlet doublet with regimental facings, kilt in regimental tartan, feather bonnet with ribbons, hose with flashes, sporran. Lowland Scottish regiments wore the standard British infantry dress with Scottish distinctions (trews, diced bands). The Highland regiments became particularly famous for their service in colonial campaigns, especially the Sudan expedition and the Second Boer War. The kilt in Zululand in 1879 and in the Sudan in 1884 to 1898 was an iconic late Victorian image.
Colonial service dress
On colonial service the full dress was often replaced by lighter clothing. In India, Indian Army units wore khaki from the 1840s. British units in India adopted khaki frock coats and trousers from the 1870s. In Africa the dress varied by campaign: scarlet for the Zulu War 1879, khaki for later expeditions, white tropical for garrisons. By the 1890s most colonial expeditions wore khaki or grey drill in the field, with scarlet reserved for ceremonial. The Second Boer War 1899 to 1902 was the final step: khaki became universal in the field.
Guards regiments
The Foot Guards (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, Welsh added in 1915) wore scarlet tunics with the bearskin cap throughout the late Victorian era. The bearskin became the most recognisable British military headdress worldwide. The Household Cavalry kept their cuirassier style dress. These Guards regiments wore their late Victorian uniform through both World Wars and continue to wear essentially the same pattern today. The ceremonial dress of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is late Victorian in origin.
The 1902 transition
The Boer War forced the final transition. In 1902 the British Army adopted khaki service dress as the standard field uniform, with scarlet retained only for ceremonial duties. The home service helmet was retained for ceremonial but no longer worn on operations. The era of coloured uniforms in battle ended. Within a decade the French and German armies had made similar transitions, which is why photographs of 1914 show the French still in blue and red but the British, Germans and Russians all in grey or khaki.
Common questions
When was the home service helmet introduced?
1878. Replaced the earlier shako and became the iconic late Victorian infantry headdress.
Did Victorian cavalry really wear cuirasses?
Household Cavalry (Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards) wore cuirasses for state ceremonial dress. Other cavalry did not.
Did Highland regiments wear kilts in battle?
Yes, through most of the Victorian era. By the Second Boer War the kilt was mostly replaced by khaki trousers for actual combat, though some Highland units kept the kilt in action.
Why did Britain finally adopt khaki?
The Boer War made clear that scarlet was fatal under modern rifle fire. Boer sharpshooters at 1,000 yards killed British soldiers in scarlet with ease.
Can I see late Victorian uniforms today?
Yes. The Household Cavalry Museum, the National Army Museum and the Guards Museum in London all have excellent collections. The Household Division still parades in essentially late Victorian dress.