Csar Nicholas II & King George V

“Czar Nicholas II of Russia and King George V of England. Their portraits appear on many postage stamps and it is difficult to distinguish between the two men. Can you pick who’s who from this photo? The man on the left is the Czar: the uniforms may have fooled you but the royal cousins swapped them for the occasion!”

Well played gentlemen, well played.

I don’t quite know why but there is something about these uniforms and these men that are just so bloody dashing.

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. By John Partridge. 1840.

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill at 19, in the uniform of the Fourth Queen’s Own Hussars.

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 

Total. History. Crush.

Check out that uniform.

Pompeo Batoni
Colonel the Hon. William Gordon, 1765-66
By kind permission of the National Trust for Scotland/Fyvie Castle collection
© The National Trust for Scotland
Courtesy the National Gallery

Coat lakejlivré

c. 1672 

I don’t quite know why but there is something about these uniforms and these men that are just so bloody dashing. 

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

By John Partridge. 1840.

Oh? What is that? Future costume calling? Why yes I believe I will take that challenge.

Here Olga Nikolaevna is portrayed a Hussar, but with a narrow waist and a nice figure. The Tsars were almost always portrayed in some kind of military dress.

Elegant gold embroidery on red velvet - part of French officer’s uniform

I am ridiculously interested in the caduceus but I can’t find anything about why it would be on the uniform or what the other symbols stand for. 

Uniform of General of Division worn by Napoleon at the Battle of Marengo, 1800

I assume this is a Trouvais style photo?

“Napoleonic bicorne”

Description: Contrary to popular myth, Nelson did not wear full dress uniform at Trafalgar but this plain ‘undress’ uniform coat (1795-1812 pattern). The hole made by the bullet can be seen on the left shoulder, just underneath the damaged epaulette. The blood stains on the tails and left sleeve are probably from the wounds of Nelson’s secretary, John Scott, who was killed earlier in the action.Creator: UnknownDate: 1805Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London

Gold embroidered oak leaves - lapels of one of Napoleon’s uniforms

Order of Saint Joachim