"French cockade 1815" Topic

We all hear how the enthusiasts cut off the white Bourbon cockade from their headgear and stuck the tricolour in its place to start the Hundred Days. But was it white/red/blue (from ouside in) as for the whole of the Empire, or more like the modern French airforce roundel, red/white/blue? Museum pieces of reasonable provenance suggest the latter!

Any strong views?

Interesting; I've never seen it depicted as anything other than blue within red within white. Any reason it should be different in 1815?

@deadhead
Yes red – white – blue for the 100 days campaign

Yes, I have seen that. It seems in the later Empire the 'reversed' cockade started appearing and was certainly in use during the 100 days.

Suspect both in use, but I do wonder why the change? Must surely be some symbolism to it.

In favour of the modern red/white blue roundel style
Major Guidon 72nd Ligne preserved cockade (Musee de l' Armee)
Marbot's Shako (M de l'Armee)
Alexis Cabaret's Mt St Jean website(just how good is that? Brilliant is the answer)
Bound to wonder if these are restorations in 1830s and reflect republicanism?

In favour of old white/red/blue still in use in 1815;

Officer's Shako 95th Ligne (Brussels)
Napoleon's Waterloo hat (we are told anyway) Musee de Sens

It's true. The cockade evolved, like the flags. Maybe they were just making a correction. It should always have been Blue, white and red from inside out. Don't know why it was Blue red and white from inside out earlier.

Of the 64 cockades in the Otto manuscript (1807), 59 are coloured (reading from the outside ring to the centre) white, red, and blue, 3 are coloured red, white and blue, 1 is coloured red, blue and white, and 1 is coloured just red and blue.

Similar variations are represented in the Manuscript of the Bourgeois of Hambourg:
white, red, and blue = 48
red, white and blue = 23
blue, white and red = 3
blue, red and white = 2

Martinet prints show similar variations.