Captain Alexander McInnes, 2nd Life Guards, 1821 circa (oil on canvas)

Captain Alexander McInnes, 2nd Life Guards, 1821 circa. Oil on canvas by Ramsay Richard Reinagle (1775-1862). McInnes, an officer who had served in the Peninsula under Wellington, wears the uniform of the élite Life Guards, one of the two household regiments that acted as the personal bodyguards of the King. The accoutrements of the uniform are not only decorative, but also symbolic, which was necessary in an era before rank badges were worn. For example the gold ropes, or aiguillettes, attached to McInnes’s sash allowed his rank to be identified at a glance. In fact, the uniform worn in this painting is virtually identical to that still worn by the Life Guards when on royal ceremonial duties. The uniform is very sumptuous, with a gold lace sash, and a highly polished cuirass lined with lambskin. There were other practical elements to the uniform. The uniform trousers of Guards units were cut very tightly, so a sabretache was substituted for pockets. The sabretache – a kind of flat, low-slung bag worn only by officers – can just be seen behind McInnes’s sword.