A Sikh Sentry, Fort Johnston, British Central Africa

Circa 1893

Chromotypograph on paper

13 x 9.75 in (33 x 24.5 cm)

Based upon a watercolour sketch by Sir Harry Johnston (who designed the black, yellow, white and red colour scheme), this is a reasonably accurate portrayal of the first uniform worn by members of the Indian contingent in British Central Africa.

"Clothing played an equally important role in the experience of serving African soldiers. The Indian contingent of the Nyasaland forces was issued with one of the most overtly symbolic uniforms of any soldiers in the British Empire. The gaudy costume cut in the `Zouave' style consisted of a yellow-trimmed black jacket, worn over a white kurta, with voluminous yellow trousers, white gaiters, and a broad red cummerbund around the waist. The Sikh identity of the wearer was signified by the addition of a black turban. Johnston explained the use of this scheme as `our three colours, black, yellow, and white, with a touch of the English red. Into the sable mass of Africa I have driven [... ] Indian Yellow. Over all is the white [... ] representing in its best significations the all-embracing white man'. However, whilst the Zouave style originated in France's North African Army, the cut of the Nyasaland uniform drew on British African patterns, closely resembling the uniforms of the West India Regiment and the West African constabularies, which Johnston must have experienced at first hand in West Africa.

The Sikhs were also equipped with a Khaki uniform for field service, but their yellow and black full dress remained much in evidence throughout the 1890s. It is doubtful whether the uniform's symbolism was recognised by many outside the administration, but its ostentation clearly played an important role in the spectacle which was so important to the power relations of the colonial state. Moreover, its unusual colour scheme had a lasting impact upon the visual identity of the Nyasaland forces". (Timothy John Lovering, Authority and Identity: Malawian Soldiers in Britain's Colonial Army, 1891-1964, September 2002, online)

Published in The Graphic, Circa 1893

This work will be shipped unframed

NON-EXPORTABLE