"Prussian Facing Color for East Prussian Infantry 18-13-14" Topic

I am planning to do a regiment of east Prussian infantry, and note that their facing colors (collar and cuffs) are listed as "brick red". However, the various sources and plates I have all seem to show an orange to an orange brown color – mostly along the lines of a terracotta.

What is recommended to use for this brick red color? I ask because brick red to me is a very brownish-red, but definitely in the red shade.

Thanks,

Terry

I agree with you, I have chosen my colors to use and if nothing else keep them the same throughout my army.

Snarky comment: depends on what your bricks are made of????

Attempt to be helpful: I think aiming for an absolute color might not be the best way to go. There were 7 provincial colors in this period if I'm not mistaken. Silesia was yellow and pomerania was white. Elbe was light blue. That leaves four reds and I think as long as you have unique ones that roughly correspond to what they should be you'll be in good shape. W Prussia was crimson (this color always gives me grief, but I go for a red tending toward purple), Brandenburg is poppy red (red tending toward orange), E Prussia is brick red (I would say red tending toward brown), and crab red (maybe even more orange than the poppy red?). As long as you have something that would look different when side-by-side for each of them, I think you'll be in good shape.

Here, at the bottom, you find a reconstruction of the Prussian facing colours in 1806:

link

"Hellziegelrot" (light brick red) was worn by Regiment Rüchel (No. 2, 1808: 1. Ostpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment), Regiment Besser (No. 14, 1808: 3. Ostpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment) and Regiment Diericke (No. 16, 1808: 4. Ostpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment). Therefore, this colour was chosen for all the four East Prussian infantry regiments.

Due to the non-standardised dying procedures and the number of producers involved, the actual shade of the colours could vary a lot, even within one shipment of cloth.

Here a reconstruction of the Prussian March 1815 facing colours:

Note: The colours of the sword tassels for companies 1 to 4 (top left) are given wrongly. For them, the distinctive colours were found on the ring above the tassels only, not on the tube between this ring and the knop. A lapse by the author of the book.

Gentlemen, my very sincere thanks for the replies. All very helpful! Seems then that Brick red is somewhere between terracotta and cadmium orange. This is a big help!

Terry

On my brick red facing 7th West Prussian Regiment, I used Vallejo 814 Burnt Cadmium Red then a highlight of 908 Carmine Red.
This gives a nice dark brick red color, in my opinion.

Wrmr I just got figures to replace my 4th East Prussian musketeers, those are something to strive to replicate

for my East Prussian infantry I used a dark orange/red for facing color

for my East Prussian infantry I used a dark orange/red for facing color

Wrmr,
I agree with 14Bore. Wonderful painting and posing/basing, great flag. Real "modelling" of the unit and the era. Thank you for posting them.

Thanks Gentlemen, Calpe figures are such a joy to paint. After painting 1000+ of them I got pretty good.

Tile red would be a better translation.

"On my brick red facing 7th West Prussian Regiment, "

?

West Prussians – I was under the impression they had crimson facings, as you painted, a far cry different to brick red

Von W, you are correct 7th West Prussian should be Crimson.
how went with they are depicted on the Mont St. Jean website. I posted a picture of the incorrect unit for brick red.

link

Just looked at my bottle labeled East Prussian, no idea what color its called the label has been gone a long time. West Prussian is crimson that label is still on. As I wrote long ago picked color thought was best and labeled them.

Brick red in the parlance of 200 years ago was orange.

Google "Queen Anne brickwork" and you get some authentic 18th century bricks.

eg

This is the brick colour being referred to. The dark brownish shade is Victorian or 20th century.

"18th century brickwork" is even more conclusive.
link

I guess I should have checked earlier….now I have to repaint my brick red facing.

4th Cuirassier,

The color of the brick in your picture is what I perceive as brick red of the period, and seems to be supported by both Nash and Sommerville in their works. I need to check and see if I have a Knotel plate on them as I have about 500 originals of the series.

But for now, I am leaning toward a more orange brown.

Thanks all, But based on my references, and this picture I am pretty convinced that an orange or orange brown is the more correct shade.

Terry

Just look at contemporary pictures, visit the homepage of Markus Stein at

napoleon-online.de and go for

Uniformenportal

here you will see the Thieme – Prussian Army of 1792 and you will see the different facing colours – amongst else "Ziegelrot" in case there was a Hellziegelrot as well.

Thanks Von W!

link

Possibly of interest?
link

Thanks for the additional info and links!

I continued to pour through my references and here's what I came up with.

Knotel shows it as a very strong red with a slight touch of orange – which is more of what I feel Poppy Red is.

However, I finally found what I knew I had seen in Sommerville's book. He says Brick Red is a "dark orange".

I did a Methuen method color match and it is close to Vellajo German Orange, but closer to Cremacoat Bittersweet Orange. I will probably go with the Vellajo color and highlight with the Bittersweet orange

Terry

@ Terry

I think if you end up with something that resembles brickwork you'll be in good shape.

wrgmr1

Thanks for the links – but please don't forget to check the Thieme – fanatatic information

link

Von W – thanks, will do!
Cheers!