sporran

John Brown was the servant who became close to Queen Victoria after the death of Prince Albert. Their relationship was the subject of the 1997 movie "Mrs. Brown," starring Dame Judi Dench and Billy Connolly. "Much gossip attached to the unlikely relationship and much animosity generated by those who resented the trust placed in the 'low-born' Brown by the Queen. The Queen refused to desert Brown because of the scandalous talk - which she dismissed as 'ill-natured gossip' " From the Royal Deeside website: John Brown, Faithful Servant to Queen Victoria --

Hi, this photo has been mentioned in a discussion thread in the Flickr Commonsgroup, and we'd love to have this added to the group pool! -- Seen in a discussion of Flickr Commons. (?)

Wow, i'd never seen a photo of John Brown before, only heard the story.

He looks as though his glare could melt the film, as if the photographer is intruding. Which I guess would fit the story as we know it.

To see these two! It is totally a smashing photograph!

Wow, I have tassel envy.

Wow, I didn't even know there was photography before the 1860s. Thank you for uploading this precious photo. A suggestion: maybe you could add the tag "music" to any photos that have music or musicians, to aid in searching. (I've just added one.)

This is really awesome. I had a friend who was part of a Gordon Highlanders reenactment society. It was so much fun to watch them "do their thing" at the Highland games we went to in California (USA).

You'll note that the facing colour, ie the particular regimental colour worn on collar and cuffs, was yellow for the 92nd. However, due to the nature of black/white photography at that time, yellow used to show up as a dark hue. You get the same effect in American Civil War photos of Union cavalrymen wearing their yellow-trimmed dark-blue shell jackets.

These are exactly the types of uniform worn by the 42nd Black Watch, 79th Cameron Highlanders and 93rd Sutherland Highlanders when they fought in the Crimean War against Russia in 1854-55. Imagine surviving a Russian winter (even Southern region) in thin, tight uniforms like that. The 92nd joined the Highland Brigade in the Crimea in late 1855 and I think they wore the newly-introduced eminently more practical skirted Highalnd double breasted tunics (doublets). As to the 92nd's impressive sporrans, all kilted Highland regiments wore multi-tasselled sporrans in the 1840's. The 42nd Black Watch had 5 black bell-tassels on white horsehair, the 78th Seaforths had 6 black bell-tassels on white horsehair, the 79th had 5 white bell tassels on grey horsehair, the 92nd had 5 white bell-tassels on brown horsehair and the 93rd had six white bell tassels on black horsehair. Just before the Crimean War of 1854, the 79th Camerons adopted 2 long white tails on grey horsehair. In 1881, the new county regiments adopted dress based on the old numbered Highland regiments. The Black Watch continued with the old 5 tassel 42nd sporran, the Seaforths adopted 2 long black tails on white horsehair, the Gordons also adopted 2 long black tails on white horsehair, the Queen's Own Cmerons kept with their 2 long white tails on grey horsehair, whilst the Argyll & Sutherland Hlrds kept the old 93rd's sporran of six white bell tassels on black horsehair. Up to the amalgmations of 2006, when the old regiments were defunct and the new Royal Regt of Scotland adopted 2 black tails on white horsehair for all battalions, the Black Watch had kept their traditional 1840's style 5 tail sporrans and the Argylls their "Swinging Six" sporrans.

He was the 11th Marquess of Queensbury (1896–1954). John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry was the one who caused Oscar Wilde's terrible downfall. It is a terrible shame that the name Queensberry is forever connected with homophobia. I adore the spats (probably incorrect nomenclature for it).

Francis Archibald Kelhead Douglas was born 17 Jan 1896, son of Percy Sholto Douglas (10th Marquess of Queensberry) and Anna Maria (nee Walters). He had an older sister, Lady Dorothy, b. 1894, and a younger brother, Lord Cecil, b. 1898. His mother died 25 Apr 1917. He was Commissioned into the Black Watch in January 1915 at the age of 19, and was married to his first wife, (of three, by whom he had a total of 4 children), Irene Clarice Richards, in December 1917. It was his grandfather, John Sholto Douglas, (who died when Francis was aged 4), who was arrested when he was so unwisely sued for criminal libel by Oscar Wilde in 1895, over the 41-year-old Wilde's relationship with John's 25-year-old son Alfred, (Percy's brother, and uncle of Francis), who in 1902 married Olive Eleanor Custance. John Sholto Douglas as 9th Marquess is recalled as the man who formally endorsed the rules codified by J G Chambers for the sport of amateur boxing. These quickly became adopted across the United Kingdom as the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, and synonymous with fair play in sport.//

stunting shot

From Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Douglas,_11th_Marquess_of_Q... Francis Archibald Kelhead Douglas (17 Jan 1896-27 Apr 1954) was the 11th Marquess of Queensberry. He was a Scottish representative peer in the 1920s. His parents were Percy Sholto Douglas, 10th Marquess of Queensberry and Anna Maria Walters (1866-1917). He married his first wife, Irene Clarice Richards, on 4 December 1917. [Divorced 1925 according to www.thepeerage.com thepeerage.com/p2067.htm] His second wife was Cathleen Sabine Mann, daughter of portrait artist Harrington Mann(married 18 March 1926, divorced 1946). His third wife was Muriel Beatrice Margaret Rowe-Thornett (widow of Albert Sidney Gore-Chunn) whom he married in 1947 in Westminster. (www.ancestry.co.uk Marriage Indexes) National Probate Calendar records his death as 27 Apr 1954 at The Grand Hotel, Folkestone, Kent. Probate granted to his widow. Effects £2521 8s 3d.

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