‘Portraits - 2nd Punjab Cavalry’, 1856 circa (aquatint)

‘Portraits - 2nd Punjab Cavalry’, 1856 circa. Coloured aquatint by J Harris after W Fane, No 1 in the series ‘Indian Costumes II’, published by R Ackermann, 1856. The ‘Hindostanee Trooper’ and Sikh non-commissioned officers wear sheepskin coats, the iconic ‘poshteen’ of the North West Frontier. The mounted figure is described as an ‘Afghan Native Officer’. The 2nd Regiment of Punjab of Cavalry was raised by Lieutenant Sam Browne in 1849. The unit, loyal to the British, fought in the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and saw extensive service on the frontier with Afghanistan. In 1903, with the amalgamation of the regiments of the three Indian presidency armies (Bengal, Bombay and Madras), the unit became the 22nd Cavalry Frontier Force).