"Most sumptuous, prettiest, elegant uniforms?" Topic

Rather than individual characters such as commanders and drum majors etc… which units would be nice to paint, I know very little about this era (other than very limited french guard uniforms knowledge)

Im putting in an order and would like to broaden my horizons when it comes to colourful uniforms to paint.

French guard cavalry I know about and have already purchased.

Cardigan's Cherrypickers, 11th Hussars.
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Of course, that's Crimean War.

Regular French in bicorne are actually very pretty.
But they are beaten by their Legere comrads in hussar boots.
Most Hussars for most countries.
Carabiners a cheval(in bearskins)
British heavy cavalry in bicorne(yes I like bicorne)

Mamelukes (possibly you already have as you mention French Guard). Can't beat them and no-one can argue about your choice of colours and embroidery.

Bavarian cavalry, or Infantry come to that.

Saxons, Garde du Corps obviously but cuirassiers and light cavalry nice too.

Kingdom of Holland; guard grenadiers
Berg: lancers
1799 russian grenadiers

Chasseurs 'a Cheval of the Guard are very nice.

In addition to the Berg Lancers, the Berg Light Horse – in their early cream and amaranth uniform, before they were lancers.
Polish Light Horse Lancers of the Guard
Any Duchy of Warsaw Lancer regiment. I particularly prefer the 21st Lithuanian regiment, in their orange and blue, even though only a squadron was formed.
Vistula Lancers
Any French or Russian Hussar Regiment
Just about any Spanish army unit in 1808
Highlanders
Irish Legion (French army) or any of the Irish Regiments (Spanish army)
I also second the Chasseurs of the guard
Joseph Napoleon's French guard infantry – in their later uniforms, like French old guard, but with orange facings in one regiment and green facings in another

Actually, my advice is to pick up a copy of the Funcken's 2-volume set and browse. I used them for ~45 years, and each time I open either volume, I'll spot a uniform I hadn't really considered before. This is probably why I have so many 25-28mm castings.

I also recently discovered that the Pinterest app is indispensable for finding prints of Napoleonic uniforms. They are particularly good for the obscure ones.

Rick

Prussian Army of 1806

especially musketeers, grenadiers, cuirassiers, dragoons and hussars ;-)) and Towarczys

I'd second Polish Lancers. When Napoleon first saw them while in Warsaw he was so impressed that he added a regiment of them to his Imperial Guard.

Another vote for the Polish lancers

I really, really like the Grenadiers à Cheval de la Garde Impériale – senior Guard cavalry regiment, and with respect the bicorne fans I really like bearskins

For outrageous uniforms I would suggest the Army of the Kingdom of Naples – not the most useful for gaming, but dang are they pretty!

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Grade de Paris: 1st Regiment has green coats, white breeches and vest, red facings.

2nd Regiment has the reverse of the 1st Regiment with red coats and green facings.

Danish army. Except they use colors like the Brits.

The Neapolitan Army and their many changes by Murat. And the orange-clad Nassau.

I always admired the Tirailleurs of the Guard shown here recently. I do NOT do guard units, but that would be one if they had even a battalion on long service in the Peninsula. I would NOT do the white "v's" on the shako – just too much.

I like even better the Frankfurt Battalion in full dress. I liked the blue, blanc et rouge uniforms.

GdeP

Neufchatel…..no conversion work needed. Just hunt out those spare French Line troops and rethink the colour scheme….

I'd plump
For the Neapolitans under Murat
Seriously gaudy with no battlefield end results!!!!!!
Perfect dandys

No Napoleonic collection is complete without the Royal Horse Artillery, and one really needs the Light Division--complete with non-regulation officer pelisses--to accompany them. In real life, I'd prefer the KGL hussars for cavalry support, but on a wargame table for pretty, perhaps the 7th Hussars? I've long been partial to the Lillywhite Seventh.

Bavarians, cornflower blue and crested helmets.

Persian guard zamburaks.

David F Brown

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The Saxe Coburg Grenadiers were pretty dapper in my view.

Another vote for French carabiniers a cheval in armour.

Wild card: Swedish cuirassiers.Some seem to have had an applique brass eagle screwed to the front of their cuirass:
goo.gl/images/bXPHws

while others and had what I can only describe as a "D.A." helmet crest:

If you're painting a whole Division, the Light Division in the Peninsula has a good variety.

You have the 1/95th Rifles in Green.
1/52 and 2/52 Light in Red with Buff facings.
1/43 Light in Red with white facings.
3rd Cacadores in brown with yellow cuffs, white turnbacks and trousers.
1st Cacadores in brown with skyblue cuffs, white turnbacks and trousers.

Throw in the 71st with the diced band around the bonnet/cap for British Light Infantry and more variety (were they in the Peninsula Light Division?)

Marins de la Garde Impériale

Neapolitan Guard. Prostitutes would be jealous…

+1 for Murvhill.

@Deadhead: fought with the 1st Division, though that didn't stop me from including them in my list for Lasalle (which needed two additional battalions for attacking).

Highlanders of course, Wurttemberg their whole army is cool with the helmets, and Brunswick for their sheik black.

French the Guard and cuirassiers.

Thankyou for everyones suggestions,
Plenty of investigating to do and to see if ranges are available or possibly converting existing ranges.

AB has a superb range of 1806 Prussians

nicest uniforms.. so hard to choose.. all of them.

Uniforms that stand out best on the table.. Austrians.

I've skimmed through my recently bought plates of 1806 prussians and that is a good looking army.
Their cuirassiers are almost like their SYW ancestors. Good looking dragoons and very nice hussars.
With lots of colours on their infantry too.

In one of those world shaking events, I must agree with McLadie. When you are talking about most sumptuous prettiest, elegant uniforms the very adjectives define it as "Neopolitan."

In World War Two the snazziest are also the Italians.

While the SS apparel epitomizes the iron fist in an iron glove, the Italians epitomize the velvet fist in a velvet glove.

Again the most beautiful ships in World War II are the Italians. A friend on the Society of Daisy put on a whole series of pictures of the accomodations of the Roma .

It looked like the Andria Doria…

Canadian Voltigeurs in 1812.