https://imgur.com/gallery/R4L2z
Hi everyone, my mum wants to know: what is the background and rank of the uniform in this photo from Southampton England in the 19th century? We have no information on who the subject was, sadly.
The British Army and Royal Navy were both active in Southampton at this time, and it could also conceivably be French or American (likely not confederate though, there are already known photographs of all Confederates that visited Southampton afaik).
I'm reasonably sure it's an officer, considering the sword and hat, as well as the fact that the picture is from the most expensive photographer's studio in the region.
I did a little bit of research into it on wikipedia but have come up with nothing; the hat made me think that maybe he was naval, but the sash seems quite weird and I havent been able to find any website that would have British 19th century naval uniforms. And for all I know I could be completely wrong and it could turn out to be army!
If this is not the right subreddit for questions like this, I apologise and would appreciate being pointed towards the correct one.
The belt appears to be that of an officer of the Royal Engineers; the two-stripe variant was introduced after the Crimean War. The cocked hat with the feather was relatively common up to about mid-century as a formal-dress option for officers. The sword also appears to be a royal engineer's sword, with a highly ornate and distinctive hilt decoration that became regulation after 1857.
I'm unable to pinpoint rank and can't find an example of this exact style of hungarian lace on his cuffs, and he seems to lack the collar decorations one might expect, but I'm reasonably confident you're looking at an officer of the Royal Engineers, some time after the Crimean War, almost certainly after 1857.