The portrait is unusual in that it is a very early depiction of the French grey jacket adopted by the Bengal Native Cavalry in 1810. It also shows the shako that replaced the Tarleton-style light dragoon helmet after 1812. The short upright plume is white over red and was the first pattern plume before the drooping horsehair plume seen in the painting of an officer of the 5th Cavalry 1820. The star-shaped plate on the front is most likely to be silver with a gilt circular centre. The scroll beneath it is illegible but probably has the regimental title. The 6th had fought at Seetabuldee in 1817 and was awarded the honour for that battle on 27 Feb 1819. The portrait could not reasonably date after 1819. The black beaver shako has silver lace around the top, silver chin scales and silver edge to the peak, but the cap-lines are gold. The plume is held in a silver holder which is based behind a black coiled boss.
The French grey jacket has orange facings, or should have, as some portraits show that the facings may have been red in defiance of the order forbidding red. There is decorative silver braid on his cuff which on later jackets became more elaborate. The collar is edged in silver but has no decoration which is seen on later jackets. The front of the collar curves back so that when closed it showed the black stock. The closely placed silver frogging across the front of the jacket slopes up to the shoulder so that the top rows seem to disappear over the shoulder, but the lines end at the point where a slim silver shoulder cord can be seen. This style continued up until c1830. The fact that the jacket is worn open indicates that the officer is dressed for the mess or a social occasion. The girdle of gold lace and crimson silk is here worn underneath, whereas for mounted duty it would be worn over the fastened jacket.
