King & Country NA003: 71st Standing Firing
The long, level musket gives NA003 its shape. This is the instant after a soldier has brought his weapon to the shoulder, with the red coat and pale trousers framing a very deliberate firing stance.
Del Prado General William Beresford 1811: The Portuguese Army Behind the British Name
Beresford’s richly braided uniform makes an imposing standing portrait. The more useful story is his work with the Portuguese Army and the difficult coalition command represented by the year 1811.
Del Prado General Desaix 1800: The Victory He Did Not Live to See
The gold-trimmed coat and high plume give Desaix a commanding presence, but the date carries the central story. He died at Marengo on 14 June 1800, during the fighting that helped secure Bonaparte’s victory.
Del Prado York Rangers Rifleman 1796: An Early Light-Troop Subject That Needs a Precise Label
The crested helmet, dark blue clothing and short firearm make this York Rangers figure look different from the later green riflemen. Its 1796 date is the starting point for identification, not a licence to attach any unit history containing the words York and Rangers.
Del Prado Russian Life Guard Cossack Officer 1812: A Guard Uniform Beyond the Cossack Stereotype
The red coat and silver-coloured braiding make this Cossack officer a formal portrait rather than a ragged raider. The Life Guard identification is essential: it places the figure in a particular institutional setting within Russian service.
Del Prado French Naval Officer of the Revolutionary Era: The Collection Reaches Before the Empire
The dark blue coat, red waistcoat and trousers, and cocked hat give this naval officer a formal eighteenth-century appearance. He is a reminder that Del Prado’s Napoleonic collection also reaches into the revolutionary years that preceded Napoleon’s empire.
Del Prado Belgian 5th Light Dragoon 1815: A Belgian Subject Before Belgian Independence
The green uniform and sabre identify a light-cavalry subject, but the date raises the most interesting question. In 1815, Belgian troops belonged to a political arrangement different from the independent Belgium of later history.
Del Prado Imperial Guard Vélite 1805: The Guard Also Trained Young Soldiers
The word vélite changes the reading of this miniature. Del Prado’s subject represents a young soldier within a system intended to develop future leaders, rather than simply another battle-hardened Old Guard grenadier.
Del Prado 11th Chasseurs Trumpeter 1810: The Red Coat Marks a Musical Role
The red jacket, pale braiding and green trousers make this trumpeter stand out from ordinary French cavalry. Del Prado shows him on foot, allowing the clothing and instrument to be studied without a horse obscuring the lower body.
Del Prado Martinique National Guard Fusilier 1802–1809: A Caribbean Subject in the Napoleonic Collection
The tall hat, blue coat and white trousers make this Martinique guardsman a striking departure from European battlefield infantry. The photographed Black figure brings colonial society into a catalog that could otherwise make the Napoleonic era appear exclusively European.