Cabinet Photograph
A&G Taylor - Photographer
London, England
c. 1890

This sergeant of the Royal Engineers was a veteran of the Anglo-Zulu War and one campaign in Egypt/Sudan. He wears the 1877-79 South Africa Medal with the "1879" clasp and the
Egypt Medal with a single clasp, possibly "The Nile 1884-85". Accompanying the Egypt Medal is the bronze Khedive's Star.

This photograph is a textbook example of the unexpected "reversing out" of the 1877-79 South Africa Medal's ribbon that occurs in many 19th Century photographs. For some unknown
reason (I suspect the dyes used to color the medal's ribbon) when photographed the yellow portion of the ribbon appears very dark, even black as in this example. In this photograph, the
ribbon's distinctive black stripes have also reversed and appear light. You have in effect a negative representation of the ribbon in a photographic positive.

Unfortunately, this sergeant is unidentified.