A GUIDE TO MILITARY ART - Charles Hamilton Smithâ s Costume of the Army of the British Empire - According to the 1814 regulations

illustrator.Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Hamilton Smith - Expert commentary from Ray Westlake

ISBN 10: 1783319917 / ISBN 13: 9781783319916

Published by Naval & Military Press, 2021

About this Item

2021 N&M Press reprint of original 1815 edition 126 pages with 60 full colour plates Published Price £30 Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Hamilton Smith is best known in military history circles for this Costume of the Army of the British Empire, produced towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It is an accurate and important depiction of contemporary British uniform.In this Guide, Ray Westlake has drawn together a full set of Hamilton Smithâ s scarce and extremely difficult-to-find colour military costume plates. As well as the British Army, a number of lesser-painted formations have been featured, such as the West India Regiment, Kingâ s German Legion, Duke of Brunswick Oelsâ s Corps, the York Light Infantry Volunteers, Royal Military Asylum and native troops of the East India Company. For some 30 of them, he has included copies of Hamilton Smithâ s original drawings used for the work. Also useful are the six colour charts showing facing and lace colours. With a total of 60 informative colour plates, this Guide will prove to be a welcome addition to the library of all those interested in military uniform. They form an important and permanent record of the British Army at the height of its successes during the Peninsular War, during the reign of King George IV, a monarch whose interest in militaria was very wide-ranging â " as well as illustrations of tactics and of the latest in military technology, he was also fascinated by, and very knowledgeable in, military uniforms, standards and colours.Hamilton Smithâ s military career began in 1787, when he studied at the Austrian academy for artillery and engineers at Mechelen and Leuven in Belgium. Although his military service, which ended in 1820 and included the Napoleonic Wars, had him travel extensively (including the West Indies, Canada and the United States), much of his time was spent at a desk job in Britain. One of his noteworthy achievements was an 1800 experiment to determine which colour should be used for military uniforms. The increasing accuracy of firearms, especially rifles, brought advantages to shades which offer a less distinctive target â " by testing the accuracy of a rifle company against grey, green and red targets, he showed scientifically the advantages of grey (and, to a lesser extent, green) uniforms over red ones common at the time, and recommended that grey be adopted for riflemen and light infantry. The British Army did not heed his advice, with green becoming the colour associated with light infantry. Dimensions : 21.59 x 27.99 cm.

Seller Inventory # 30247

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A GUIDE TO MILITARY ART - Charles Hamilton Smithâ s Costume of the Army of the British Empire - According to the 1814 regulations
• Publisher: Naval & Military Press
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1783319917
• ISBN 13: 9781783319916
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • History
  • Military History

About this title

Synopsis

Born on 26 December 1776 in East Flanders, then an Austrian province, Charles Hamilton Smith was a descendent of a Flemish Protestant family named Smet. In England he attended school in Richmond, Surrey, but having returned to Flanders he went on to study at the Austrian Academy for Artillery and Engineers at Malines and Louvain. He was a talented artist and as such provided one of the most valuable references to military costume ever produced. 

In Costume of the Army of the British Empire, Hamilton Smith placed on record a detailed account of the several uniforms worn around the time of the Peninsular War. Originally issued in sets of four, the prints were produced from work drawn and etched by Hamilton Smith, then aquatinted by IC Stadler. Publication took place between March 1812 and June 1815 by the London firm of Colnaghi & Co who could be found in Cockspur Street. The printing was done by W Bulmer & Co of Cleveland Row. 

In this Guide, Ray Westlake has drawn together a full set of Hamilton Smith's scarce and extremely difficult-to-find colour plates. As well as the British Army, a number of lesser-painted formations have been featured, such as the West India Regiment, King's German Legion, Duke of Brunswick Oels's Corps, the York Light Infantry Volunteers, Royal Military Asylum and native troops of the East India Company. For some 30 of them, he has included copies of Hamilton Smith's original drawings used for the work. Also useful are the six colour charts showing facing and lace colours. With a total of 60 informative plates, this Guide will prove to be a welcome addition to the library of all those interested in military uniform.