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. As the inscription relays, shown here is Sergeant John Brookfield of the 14th (The King's) Light Dragoons. The Light Dragoons were a cavalry regiment particularly responsible for scouting and reconnaissance duties, and were less heavily armed than the standard Dragoons. Drahonet captures Brookfield in a moment of action, holding his carbine ready to fire. His sword lies broken at his feet, perhaps to suggest a moment of combat in an otherwise decontextualised study of the uniform.

The dress of the Light Dragoons had undergone complete transformation in the years preceding Drahonet’s paintings. Their coatee, previously blue, was reissued after a General Order of 1830 stipulated that the regiment be dressed in red. From 1831, their overalls changed from light blue-grey to dark blue with a double red stripe. Here the Sergeant also wears the new model of bell-top shako approved for the regiment in 1828, decorated with an elaborate plaited festoon and gilt Maltese cross and topped by large white plume.