During the period of peace following the Napoleonic Wars, increasingly elaborate (and often quite impractical) military attire was devised, particularly by George IV. By the time William IV came to the throne in 1830, uniforms had become too expensive and were simplified and adapted once again. The result of these changes was codified and promulgated in the 1831 Dress Regulations. These paintings were intended to provide a visual record of the recent changes to military dress. Their value is not only historical, however, but also aesthetic: Drahonet produces lively, slightly elongated figures, capturing their facial expressions and setting them in a variety of organic poses.

Each painting in the series depicts a single figure against a neutral background. Although their uniform and accoutrements are the focus, the sitters are often identified by name, as well as regiment and rank. In this case, however, the inscription reveals only that this figure is a Sergeant of the 1st (The King’s) Dragoon Guards. The 1st Dragoon Guards were a Heavy Cavalry Regiment, employed to deliver shock charges on the battlefield and also to fight their adversaries hand-to-hand. 

The figure illustrates many of the key aspects of the Dragoon Guards’ uniform that had been developed during the previous decade: the red coatee with tails and the dark blue trousers with yellow stripes were standard. Unlike in the Household Cavalry, cuirasses were not worn, nor were moustaches permitted. The steel helmet, painted black with a curling bearskin crest, would be replaced by a new model in 1834. By showing the figure almost from behind, Drahonet emphasises various aspects of the figure’s uniform obscured from the front, including the sabre scabbard, the ammunition pouch, and the sabretache, all suspended from his shoulder belt.