This officer wears khaki service dress which is little different from the uniform worn by the officers in the 1893 photo. The turban and puttees are rifle green and he has a scarlet kullah. His Sam Browne belt and sword frog are black leather, and his sword knot is also black leather. The sword scabbard is black with a white metal end. On his left shoulder is a green canvas strap for his knapsack which in this order of dress is neatly folded on his right hip. The shoulder straps of his tunic have black metal badges; a stringed bugle badge nearest the shoulder and what looks like a crown. This would indicate the rank of Subadar-Major. Subadars had two stars and Jemadars had one star.
The dating of this painting by A C Lovett is debatable. The image comes from the National Army Museum website which dates it as c1885. This date may be based on the medal ribbon which is half hidden by his knapsack strap. It is the green and crimson ribbon of the Afghan Medal for the campaign of 1879-80. The dating of 1909 is based on a rough sketch by W Y Carman (see below) made at the Parker Gallery in 1962 where he saw an original Lovett painting of the same officer, in the same uniform but drawn from a different angle. The writing is not very legible but in the top right corner, the date 1909 is written above 104 ?? and also in the bottom right. Mr Carman did not include the medal ribbon. If this officer fought in Afghanistan at the age of 17 it would put him in his mid 40s in 1909.
