Captain Atkinson of the Bengal Engineers made sketches of various aspects of the military in India which were made into prints for the Illustrated London News. This one was published at the time of the Mutiny in 1857, showing loyal troopers of the Bengal Light Cavalry in undress uniforms. They are armed with swords and have pistol holsters on the front of their saddles.The details of the uniforms are not accurate but the standing figure reveals that the trousers had leather reinforced inside legs. The 10 regiments of Bengal Light Cavalry were all regular troops as opposed to the irregular cavalry raised locally from men who initially provided their own weapons, dress and horses, but became more ‘regular’ later on.
