IA: Imperial Hunters (LASC 2021)

[Brother Tyler]

 

While our modern sensibilities most often associate pink with femininity, this is neither universal nor timeless. One has only to look back to the 18th century to see pink in use in military uniforms.

Can you name examples of the actual use of pink in real-world military uniforms, as opposed to unintentional use, i.e., red uniforms whose colors faded?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniforms_of_La_Grande_Armée

 

Most of the time pink wasn't the primary color, instead featuring as a facing or other minor color, but there are a number of units that featured multiple pink areas upon their uniforms. There are also examples of individuals that wore accessories or elements that were pink. While these were most often faded red, as you suggest, some were almost certainly deliberate. One key example of this is Marshal Poniatowski (who is portrayed wearing different colors at different times depending upon his allegiance at that time, with multiple historical portrayals of him wearing pink trousers).

 

If we look beyond the Napoleonic era, there are other historical examples. There are records of some samurai, for example, who wore either clothing or armor lacing of pink. The Ottomans and Janissaries, too, had some units or individuals that wore articles of clothing that were pink.

 

In French heraldry, there are numerous instances of pink (ahem...carnation) in heraldry. As a result, pink might appear on articles of their uniform such as shields, tabards, and caparisons. It wasn't the most common of colors, but appears multiple times.