"The Ultimate Napoleonic Uniform Guide?" Topic

I have been slowly easing myself into Napoleonic wargaming in 25/28mm and have been purchasing the obvious book choices, Ospreys, Funckens, Blandfords,etc, just to give me a good overview, especially from a French perspective. However, despite my best efforts, I can't quite seem to get that ultimate book(s) that gives me all the answers. All the books have either conflicting information or don't have all the answers I need as to cuffs, collars, turnbacks, etc that I need. Am I missing that pre-requisite purchase?

This is far from ultimate but it is good:

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This is the best I've found.

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If you are interested in a book from the French you can not beat:

Rousselot, Lucien NAPOLEON'S ARMY 1790-1815

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Lots of details, even a page of colours so you can judge what they mean by 'jonquille' or 'gris de fer bleute'.

There is not something that covers all the armies in sufficient details, the Funckens for example are very short on details of the Austrian. But since you are new to the period you would greatly benefit from this Osprey title:

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The smaller armeis like say the Bavarians don't erally get covered but the French, British, Austrians, Russians and Portugese sections will see you though plenty of painting and collecting projects.

These are also useful:

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Hope this helps,

Elliott

I have that last one.
I am not sure as a uniform painting guide it is that useful though.
As a general sourcebook it is top notch, but then we are all different!

I don't have the particular Haythornthwaite book that Scott recommended, but I have another one – Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars 1796-1814 link Had it since a kid, and still refer to it; very inspirational. Dean

Sorry anglebarracks I added some titles I justed thought off, so this is is the book you meant:

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Sad truth is like a lot of things in Napoleonic history if you want to push your knowledge far enough there is no ultimate because the material produced for general consumption is just that!

Like battle and campaign accounts it all depends on the research and source material used by those producing the illustration.

As a result you can find the same error of detail reproduced over again and if you really get into it. There are a number of little wars that have raged for years as to the use of certain colours or the date a style changed in some quite mind boggling detail.

However there are some 'accepted' classics like Knotel, Rousselot and Vernet you may want to hunt down, though they do tend to be expensive even in modern reproductions.

They also tend to specialize in single nations, as do most of the 'good' books.

If you are into French uniforms the two books by Dempsey on the Otto Manuscript and Martinet's prints are interesting, as they show illustrations that were actually made during the Napoleonic wars not handed down over the years and thereby subject to more error.

These are cheap compared with the others but you may have to look for them, I'm not sure they are still in print.

To be honest, if you are strictly wargaming the Ospreys are good enough, regardless of some mistakes.

I don't mean that in a dismissive way – it depends on your requirements.

If you are painting up a 6mm Army – Ospreys won't kid you that Austrian Line Infantry wore pink jackets or that British Infantry wore yellow ones, how much else do you need to know, or can you actually use?

Painting up a large scale display miniature – then you can't get enough info. Even for wargames units I always check three to five sources.

Other wargame scales? It depends on your level of desire for accuracy or general 'thirst for knowledge'

Beware its a deep hole to step into – but its good fun!

I dont know how deep your pockets are but in my view the ultimate has to be the 4 volume series produced by the Col Elting entitled Napoleonic Armies. THis link only gives info about the first 2 in the series thougth (I am away from my library at present):

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I agree with Sparker's recomendation. You did, after all, request the ultimate in your topic title.

Rick

The uniforms of most of the countries that fought in the period changed quite a bit as the years passed. Some changed little while other change quite a bit. The Austrians changed twice while the French three or four times depending on how picky you are.

The "fanatics" will have the same French units in a minimum of three different dress codes or they will only do battles in the period of the uniform their miniatures represent. That fanaticism can be very expensive or very limiting, …take your pick.

Our Wargame Group link fights battles from the 1790's through 1815 with basically the same units. We allow any legitimate uniform from the period to be on the table. Organization is pretty much the same as we allow the French and others to be in any of their organizations in a minimum of Brigade sized units.

It has worked for us for over 40 years. Will

What Trajanus said. The fun and frustration is that there is no ultimate source, we are still learning. Stuff that I would trust a lot are:
the Rousselot reprint
Mark Conrad's translations of Viskovatov
Guy Dempsey's 3 books
Oliver Schmidt's Osprey
David Hollins's Ospreys
the Osprey's on the Spanish and Portuguese (I think…I'm not really up on those countries.)
Most of the "general consumption" material is compilations of other sources, often themselves compilations. For example, Elting and Smith are fairly careful, but you will find them contradicting something else you read and not have a clue which way to go.

Twelve diverse books on napoleonic Uniforms here

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The vortex that is napoleonic uniforms. And there is no bottum. Yet it is a fun ride.

I would recommend getting hold of anything on the uniforms of the period, though some are more accurate/reliable than others. There is a wealth of material available.

The four-volume uniform study by Col Elting is invaluable. The Funcken books are helpful, but you have to be careful with some of them. The volume on the French Revolution and Consulate is excellent.

On Campaign in the Age of Napoleon, uniform studies by Keith Rocco is excellent. To my mind he is the best current Napoleonic artist, in line with both Detaille and Meissonier. Napoleon's Last Grande Armee by Umhey is also an excellent study.

Anything by Guy Dempsey should be in anyone's library.

The book and plates of Rousselot's uniform study are valuable, though even if you have the new book, still try and get the plates.

Anything by Michel Petard, Patrice Courcel, and Coppens should be acquired as your pocket book allows. The best material is usually expensive, but you can get Courcelle's material in Ospreys as well as the excellent material by Leliepvre. He did the old Historex uniform cards and they are highly recommended.

K

I really like Carl Franklin's book on British Napoleonic uniforms. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the information but it's really well put together and provides just what I want from a reference book:

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I really like Carl Franklin's book on British Napoleonic uniforms

I'll second that.

Can't see any obvious howlers in it but there is so much stuff you could spend the rest of your life looking.

Good example of the wargamer-uniformologist nightmare.

When you have taken your understanding to a certain level, do you try to expand again and again, with more and more obtuse sources, or do you take a lovely book like this and just enjoy it for its own sake?

Sorry I overlooked this resource: not a book, but I've a couple of the discs from Tim Resse:

reeseartofwars.com

Well worth getting, if you don't mind reading pdf files.

The Armies at Waterloo is good for those units there – the uniforms are shown 'laid out' rather than just posed.

My recommendations for French ( as per the OP) is still Funcken. You can pay £100.00 GBP for the two volumes, and it still doesnt really cover the brits in enough detail, but its a nice book to own (and excellent on French allies).

The Otto von Pivkas book "Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars" is one of the best all round books I have used. The only quibble I have is that Russia post 1812 is not covered for some strange reason.

If you have specific campaigns in mind, then Blandford are always excellent, 1812 and Waterloo are superb. Or see if you can get one of the various source books for a given army by Rawkins. His Russian and Austrian guides are excellent, and cheap as chips. Im sure Ive seen then for free download somewhere, but not sure if the copyright has lapsed with the demise of the original publisher. Expect typewriter fount and photocopied A4 paper.

I have also found Frank Chadwick's source books very good for given periods – the Danube in 1809, or Beligum 1815 e.g have loads of distinctive details for building up and painting your armies.

Ah the dark and bottomless pit that is Napoleonic reference books!!

My favourite is the Rousselot tome mentioned above. The Funckens are ok for the coverage of most nations. I do like the Ospreys….not everyones choice and you'd need quite a few volumes to get a lot of different nationalities covered.

hussarbob1746.webs.com

Many thanks for all your advice, a dark, expensive and bottomless pit opens!

The ultimate book on Napoleonic uniforms? I have 167 and still find huge gaps in my information!!!!!

Ospreys are of variable quality. The more recent ones are the best especially of Courcelle is the artist of note in them.

The earlier ones, such as Napoleon's Guard Infantry I and II and Napoleon Line Infantry and Napoleon's Light Infantry, plus the ones on Napoleon's cavalry, aren't very good.

The two on Napoleon's guard infantry are especially bad because the bearskins are not done accurately. Some of the artwork has them as small as British fusilier caps ca 1900. All they had to do was go to Paris and take a look at the Army Museum in the Invalides. There are originals there to see.

K

……and did the local quartermaster take the monies for new uniforms into his own pockets, if a change happened just after issuing a newset of the old pattern?

… if you and your best friends had just living and some died wearing the old uniforms, how much of the new uniforms would you wear?