Dressed to Kill, Dressed to Till
A rare pair of surviving Napoleonic era military breeches of a British officer, made of white cassimere (wool) and trimmed with four gilt military buttons on each knee and there is a worked buttonhole on the back of each kneeband for securing it to a boot or gaiter top. The buttons are convex, with the device of the Star of the Order of the Thistle, being a thistle, encircled by the Latin motto “Nemo me impune lacessit” (No one provokes me with impunity). This device can be ascribed to many Scottish corps at that time, so no specific unit attribution can definitively be made. The breeches have suffered from moth damage in the past and the largest areas of loss have been skillfully filled with similar cloth by Henry Cooke IV of Historic Costume Services. Otherwise, the sell-cut breeches are in good condition and would be the appropriate match for any Napoleonic officer’s uniform, especially that of a Scottish corps.
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