Fine figures in toy soldier style produced by
When Charles II returned to assume the crown, he brought with him his own 'life guard' of soldiers, both foot and horse, from his period in exile
A Dutch drawing (below) shows him embarking to return to England from Scheveningen, and the troops shown here are still wearing a short cassock and buff coat with hanging sleeves and a 'pot' helmet
It is not known if this style of clothing represents his own troops or whether they were a Dutch escort (the accompanying flags at right may suggest the Dutch tricolour), but it is indicative of the style still evident on the Continent in some armies
The figure of the officer observing the troops (bottom right) is 'usual' for this period and later (in evidence at Tangier), and the back view of the drummer shows the longer cassock coming into use
The figures of the pikeman and footsoldier are as described and drawn by Charles Stadden in the Almark publication on the Coldstream Guards
Bowling (among others) has offered these clothing styles as the 'uniform' for the King's Life Guard, but certainly the clothing worn by the officers in general is reflected here, though the colours were not regulated (the coat could be red, blue or grey (for example sketches made of the garrison in Tangier)