Schuh (Shoes)
Original
Pictured above is an original pair of Prussian infantry shoes from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original pair of Prussian infantry shoes from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original pair of Prussian infantry shoes from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original pair of Prussian infantry shoes from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original pair of Prussian infantry shoes from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
The shoes most often worn by the Prussian infantry were made of blackened cow's leather. The smooth hair side was used for the inside of the shoe, and the rougher flesh side of the leather used for the outside. The shoes were frame sewn. The heel is made from several heel patches, and fastened with wooden pegs. The shoes were treated with wax and oil to waterproof them, and to offer a smooth exterior suitable for polishing. In some cases heel irons were added to the shoe as well as hobnails. These additions increased the life of the heel and sole of the shoe delaying their need for replacement. The shoes were fastened closed with a brass buckle. The buckle was attached to a leather strap on one side of the shoe, and the other strap was run through the buckle to close it tightly.
Reproduction
Pictured above is a reproduction pair of Prussian infantry shoes. Pairs of these shoes can be purchased from the source by visiting our uniforms and equipment sources page.
Strumpf (Stocking)
Original
Pictured above is an original pair of Swedish infantry stockings dating from 1756. As can be clearly seen the bottom or toe of the stocking has been removed, and replaced with simple stirrups. This pair of stockings belongs to the Swedish Army Museum.
Stockings of the 18th century were worn by men and women, and were most often knit. Utilitarian stockings of linen, and particularly worsted wool, were seen in colors, with blue and gray predominating. Stockings of silk or cotton were generally white, and at times were decorated with knit or embroidered patterns at the ankle, referred to as "clocks" or "clocking". Occasionally, coarse stockings for the low laboring sort and slaves were cut of woolen or linen cloth and sewn to fit the shape of the leg. For the Prussian army soldiers would have worn knit stockings of wool in white. The stocking would go from the foot to above the knee. These would be covered by the shoes and gaiters. Unfortunately, there are no surviving pairs of "Prussian" mid-18th century stockings. However, several pairs from the mid-18th century Swedish army did survive, and serve as an appropriate reference. "Together the shoes and the gaiters served to hid the sweaty horror of the woolen stockings that lay beneath. Many soldiers, indeed, used to cut off the bottom of the stockings altogether, and wrap the feet in strips of cloth which were impregnated with tallow" - Duffy, Christopher. The Army of Frederick the Great. Chicago, IL: Emperor's Press, 1996. Print.
Reproduction
Pictured above is a pair of reproduction woolen stockings. The stockings are white and are worn like socks, but ending above the knee. Pairs of stockings similar to these can be purchased from many sources listed on our uniforms and equipment sources page.
Stiefeletten (Gaiters)
Original
Pictured above is a pair of original Prussian army gaiters most likely dating from the 1786 collection. These gaiters most likely belonged to a soldier in the 15th infantry regiment. This pair comes from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Reproduction
Hose (Breeches)
Original
An illustration of a pair of Prussian soldiers breeches from Heerschau der Soldaten Friedrich's des Großen by Adolph Menzel (circa 1856).
|
An illustration of a pair of Prussian soldiers breeches by Friedrich Wilhelm von Schmettau dated 1773.
|
An original pair of Swedish soldiers breeches showing a double fall front, drawstrings at the back and simple ties at the legs. This piece from the Swedish Armemuseum.
|
An original pair of Swedish soldiers breeches showing a double fall front, drawstrings at the back and simple ties at the legs. This piece from the Swedish Armemuseum.
|
The breeches or period term “britches” of the Prussian soldier were worn with the shirt tucked into them. Like the shirt, stockings, and waistcoat the breeches made up part of the soldiers “small cloths” and would have been considered undergarments. The breeches fit snugly around a soldier’s waist and extended down the leg to about four fingers length below the knee. Each year during the annual clothing allotment a soldier was issued two pairs of breeches…one for summer use and one for winter. For the common soldier the summer breeches would have been made of white linen. The winter breeches would have been made from the same wool cloth as the waistcoat and would have matched the waistcoat in color. As with all things the officers breeches would have been made from superior materials and would have been finer than the common soldiers. The waist of the breeches were a “fall front” meaning there was a flap on the front in the center of the waist that folded i.e. “fall” down. This fall was sometimes a single fall meaning it only opened from one side and in other cases it was a double fall opening from both sides. It can be seen in the Menzel image a single fall front and in the Schmettau image a double fall. It was common to see an opening in the back of the breeches closed with draw strings. In some cases this area had a gusset and draw strings. The fall front and fly were closed with buttons. Unfortunately, much like the shirt and stockings there are no known surviving examples of Prussian soldiers’ breeches. Seven pairs of troops’ breeches were part of the Zeughaus collection, but none have survived. Adolph Menzel was able to examine the surviving pairs when making his illustrations and most certainly Friedrich Wilhelm von Schmettau was familiar with them in the period 1773. Once again there do survive a pair of soldiers’ breeches as part of the Swedish army museum collection. They are made from wool and feature a double fall front with drawstrings in the back. The legs also feature simple drawstrings.
Reproduction
This is a reproduction pair of Prussian soldiers breeches. These would be winter breeches as they are made of wool. They feature a single fall front with drawstrings in the rear and simple ties at the legs.
Hemd (Shirt)
Original
|
|
The shirt of the Prussian soldier was worn as a man’s undergarment, covering him from the neck to the knee. Each year during the annual clothing allotment a soldier was issued two shirts under the expectation they would last until the following year. A common soldier’s shirt would have been made from unbleached linen often called oznabrig named after the “German” city that first produced considerable amounts of it. An officer’s shirt would also have been made from linen, but a much finer linen bleached white. In some cases very fine shirts could be made from cotton or silk. In addition the officer’s shirt would have sported ruffles at the chest and wrists. The common soldier’s shirt was plain and un-decorative. Both the officers and soldier’s shirt would have closed at the wrist and at the neck. In some cases the shirt would be closed with simple ties and often with buttons. In the case of common soldiers sometimes the shirt would close in the back along the same lines as the dickey and neck stock. Since shirts were not made to last much longer than 12 months we have very few surviving examples to examine. There are no known surviving examples of mid-18th century Prussian soldier’s shirts, but the Swedish army museum does have a few examples of Swedish soldier’s shirts in their collections. The original examples above are from that collection. The reproduction below is a common example of a soldier’s shirt made from unbleached linen, closed with simple pewter buttons at the neck and wrist, and closed in the back as opposed to the front.
Reproduction
Pictured above is a reproduction Prussian common soldiers shirt. It is made from unbleached linen and is closed at the neck and wrists by pewter buttons.
Kolleret (Dickey)
Original
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry soldier's dickey. This dickey is from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.
Reproduction
Kamisol (Waistcoat)
Original
Pictured above is an original Prussian waistcoat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original Prussian waistcoat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Reproduction
Rock (Coat)
Original
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Pictured above is a sample of the lace used on the infantry coats of Regiment von Itzenplitz.
This photo comes from the Tressenmusterbuchan from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry coat from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photo was obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
Reproduction
Halsbinde (Neck Stock)
Perücke (Wig)
Hut (Hat)
Original
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry hat from the 16th infantry regiment. The musketeers' hat is from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photos were obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
Pictured above is an original Prussian infantry hat from the 16th infantry regiment. The musketeers' hat is from the collection in the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. The photos were obtained from the following work: Hohrath, Daniel. The Uniforms of the Prussian Army under Frederick the Great from 1740 to 1786. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011. Print.
|
The hat of the Prussian musketeer was made of black felt of varying quality. The round crown was surrounded by a broad round brim, folded up in the front and back and attached to the crown with supporting cords of heddle or braided string. The rear face was straight and smooth, while the front face was folded to a strong central point. The hat had a pronounced forward rake to the front peak that would have sloped at about a 45 degree angle. A decorative button was attached to the hat on the front left side. The color and type of button varied by regiment. In the case of Regiment von Itzenplitz a white metal button was used. The edges of the brim are decorated with white camel-hair braid or tape. In many cases the hat was unlined or a simple leather sweat band was added to the front inside of the hat. The color of the "hut puschell" or "hat pom-pom" varied by regiment. The Regiment von Itzenplitz had very light yellow pom-poms described as "light straw". The crown of the hat was surrounded by a hat cord that ended in the two side pom-poms. The central pom was attached to the front edge of the hat just above the button. All of the surviving original Prussian musketeers' hats come from the 1786 collection, and thus conform more to the style of the late 18th century than to the mid. The style being closer to the bi-corn than the traditional tri-corn. As a result the surviving originals are used for reference, but their overall shape is abandoned in favor of the more period correct styling of the mid-18th century.
Reproduction
Pictured above is a reproduction Prussian musketeer's hat used by the Regiment von Itzenplitz.
|
Pictured above is a reproduction Prussian musketeer's hat used by the Regiment von Itzenplitz.
|
Schlaufmutze (Fatigue Cap)
Reproduction
