| What makes this image so unusual is not its subject matter - a proud member of the 5th Royal Irish Lancers and veteran of the Egyptian Campaign - but the location of were the photograph was taken, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. There are several possibilities on how one of the Queen's Lancers found himself in the American Midwest. He could have been a recent immigrant who was having a portrait in uniform taken one last time. He could also have been a military observer who was attached to the American Army, Chicago being the main staging point for troops heading towards the Northern Plains. Perhaps he was on official business in Canada and was simply visiting the United States Another possibility is that this soldier was one of a number of British lancers who took part in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show which performed at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. This interesting possibility was brought to my attention by Lynn J. Houze who is a curatorial assistant at the Buffalo Bill Museum - Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody Wyoming, U.S.A. While the 12th Lancers were advertised by Cody as part of his Congress of Rough Riders this man could easily have been "seconded" to the 12th from the 5th for the duration of the show. Naturally he may have also simply have been a visitor to the Exposition or a member of the British delegation to that same event. Cabinet Photograph Henshel - Photographer 77-79 Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. c. 1890 |
