The cocked hat was normally worn for levées and evening social occasions. Images of officers of the Bengal Light Cavalry with this form of headdress are rare. It is a black bicorn hat with gold tassels at the corners and a white over red plume on top. The rest of the uniform is a French grey jacket with black facings and silver braid. The collar is open at the top, exposing the black silk stock. This was the style until c1820 when the closed Prussian collar was adopted.
The 5th Bengal Light cavalry were raised in 1800 and wore red jackets with buff facings until 1810 when they, along with the other regular cavalry regiments, wore French grey with orange facings (and silver braid). But unlike the other regiments, they exchanged their orange facings for black in 1818. There is a triple gold laced girdle around his waist with crimson silk stripes between, and he has a plain white sword belt and pouch-belt which indicates that he is not in dress uniform. The face is similar to the painting of an officer c1820 and could be the commanding officer, James Russell.
