Jacket casually thrown over the shoulder of a hussar. How did the hussar dolmen and mentics sew

Date: 07.05.2021

Russian cavalry uniform of 1812

Hussars

The hussar uniform in 1812 was significantly different from the uniforms of other types of cavalry in their appearance. Its such a significant difference is explained by the origin of this kind of light cavalry. Hussars appeared in the Russian Army in the middle of the 18th century. At that time, the hussars were immigrants from Serbia and Hungary. It was they who brought with them their own type of military clothing. I liked the uniqueness and elegance of the hussar uniform and took root in Russia. Over the course of the century, this uniform has changed somewhat, however, retaining its characteristic features. It consisted of the following items: dolman, mentik, chakchirs, boots, shako, tashka, hussar sash. It also includes one of the elements of the equestrian dress - saddle cloth. Each regiment had its own colors of the hussar uniform.

Dolman(dulam, dolam, dolman, dulman). Single-breasted jacket, short to the waist, with a low stand-up collar. The chest is embroidered with fifteen rows of cord loops for officers of gold or silver cord (according to the color of the instrument metal assigned to the shelf). The soldiers had silk cords of yellow or grayish-white color. The ends of the rows of cords were decorated with copper buttons for soldiers, and gilded buttons for officers. The officer's dolman's chest was trimmed around the cords with narrow gold (silver) braid. The general's dolmen were trimmed with fringe in the same way. In addition, the collars of non-commissioned officers, officers and generals dolman were sheathed with galloon of various widths. The dolman's back was also sewn up with cords. However, the number of rows of cords was not always strictly fifteen. Depending on the size of the dolman, the rows could be from 11 to 18. The color of the dolman, cuffs and collars in each shelf was different. In the photo on the right, a soldier dolman of the Sumy hussar regiment (by the beginning of 1812 its color will be changed to gray with red cuffs and a collar). In the photo on the left, the general's dolman of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment (by the beginning of 1812, the collar and cuffs will turn blue).

Note. The general's hussar uniform was worn by the commander of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment and the generals who were the chiefs of the hussar army regiments. Although there were no general ranks in the guard, however, the guards regiments (and not only the hussars) were commanded by persons who had the army rank of major general. As for the position of "chief of the regiment", such a position was included in the staffing table of each army regiment. The author does not know what the duties of the chief of the regiment were. No written documents to this effect were found.

Mentic(mentia). Exactly the same jacket as dolman, but the collar, the edges of the sides, the bottom of the jacket and the bottom of the sleeves are trimmed with fur. Each regiment had a mentic of its own color, and the color of the mentic did not always coincide with the color of the dolman. Fur color:
** Life Guards Hussar Regiment: officers - black beaver mech, non-commissioned officers and black mech soldiers.
** Army hussar regiments: officers gray fur, non-commissioned officers black fur, soldiers white fur.
Mentics in winter were worn in sleeves over the dolman, and in summer they were worn thrown over the left shoulder. The mentic was kept from falling over by a cord that passed under the armpit of his right hand. Hussars, armed with pikes, did not wear a mentik in the summer. In a combat situation, before the attack, the mentic was either put on in the sleeves or taken off altogether.

Hussar musicians (trumpeters, timpani) had additional adornments in the form of white and yellow braids on the sleeves, the so-called "porches" on the shoulders, on dolomans and mentics. However, trumpeters should rather be attributed not to musicians, but to signalmen, so to speak. Trumpeters in battle were next to the commanders and transmitted commands to the personnel by signals from their pipes. It is no coincidence that the regimental and battalion trumpeters belonged to the non-commissioned officers. The regimental headquarters trumpeter was equated to the sergeant, the battalion headquarters trumpeter to the ensign. And only squadron trumpeters were equated with ordinary hussars. The picture shows the headquarters trumpeter of the Mariupol hussar regiment.

Note ... The paintings, including those painted in the 19th century, depicting hussars galloping into attack with mentics fluttering from their shoulders, do not correspond to reality. Although outwardly it looks beautiful, a waving mentic can play a cruel joke with a hussar in battle. It interferes with the use of weapons, control of the horse, can upset the balance of the fighter in the saddle and throw him to the ground.

Chakchirs(chikchirs). Straight-cut hussar trousers with strips at the bottom. They fill up their boots. The color of the chakchirs is different in each shelf. On the side seams there are narrow stripes of gold (silver) braid for officers, and of yellow (white) braid for soldiers and non-commissioned officers. In front on both legs there is an ornament made of cord and galloon, the so-called "hussar knot". For soldiers and non-commissioned officers, this knot is made of a thin cord and is simple in design; for officers, it is made of gold (silver) cord and braid of a complex design. For generals, this decoration is even more complicated. The picture on the left shows an officer's "hussar knot". In the picture on the right there are chakchirs and boats.

Boats Low (just above mid-calf), narrow boots. The upper part of the boot has a curly cutout with a tassel in it. Spurs are put on the boots. Soldiers have tin-plated spurs, officers silver (gilded).

From the author. It is curious that at the beginning of the century the shoes did not differ between the left and right boots. Both boots (by the way, the other shoes too) were exactly the same, and which foot to wear was indifferent (well, like felt boots now). Who does not believe, let him visit the museum of the clothing service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Shoes began to be distinguished into left and right closer to the middle of the 19th century.

On a campaign, in combat conditions, in the classroom in cold weather on top, and in warm weather instead of chakchirs, hussars wore gray leggings, hemmed with leather. Leggings were worn over boots. Hussar chakchirs were expensive, they quickly wiped themselves off from the saddle and were torn, in inclement weather they quickly got wet and dirty from the ground flying from under the front legs of the horse. Leggings saved the day. So, in reality, during the war, the hussars did not look as elegant as we see in the films "War and Peace", "The Hussar Ballad", etc. In the picture, the hussars of the 2nd Hussar Regiment of the Russian-German Legion in leggings and on the right are leggings.

Literature

1. A.I.Begunova. From chain mail to uniform. Moscow. Education. 1993.
2.L.V. Belovitsky. With a Russian warrior through the centuries. Moscow. Education. 1992.
3. Military clothing of the Russian army. Moscow. Military publishing house. 1994
4.S. Okhlyabinin. Esprit de corps. Ranks of Traditions Faces. Russian army from Peter I to Nicholas II. Moscow. Publishing house "Republic". 1994
5. V. Semenov. Russian military uniform of the 19th century. Moscow. Art. 1986
6.O. Parkhaev. Russian army in 1812. issue 2. Moscow. Art. 1988
7.O. Parkhaev. Russian army in 1812. issue 3. Moscow. Art. 1988
8.V.M. Glinka. Russian military costume of the 18th-early 20th century. Leningrad. Artist of the RSFSR. 1988
9.O. Parkhaev. Russian army in 1812. Issue 4. Moscow. Art. 1988
10.V. N. Zemtsov, V. A. Lyapin. Yekaterinburg in uniform. Ekaterinburg. Central Ural Book Publishing House. 1992

The regimental tailors (now we would call them "ateliers" or "tailoring workshops") did not employ professional cutters and tailors, but the soldiers themselves. Cutting was carried out according to templates and a strictly established scheme, which regulated the ratio of different parts of the uniform, depending on the height of the soldier. For a better view of the military system, uniforms and ammunition were sometimes leveled along a lace: "putting the squadron on level ground or on boards on one line so that from the head to the tail man, with an outstretched lace rubbed with chalk or coal, beat off the height of the bodice, then the length of the fold, the height boots, the distance of buttons and the height of the harness ... "The patterns of the early 19th century did not provide for any darts or additional seams on uniforms. But the cloth, slightly moistened, could be pulled out under a reinforced iron, and then "put" on the soldier, pinning the details with pins right on the figure. One of his contemporaries left an interesting description of this tailor's work: “When I put my feet into the leggings, the tailors, standing on both sides of me, grabbed the sides of the leggings and began to shake me up. When they pulled on the leggings, not the slightest wrinkle remained on the cloth The cutter began to tighten the belt into a ring at the waist and pulled as much as he could. I was pulled so tight that I could hardly breathe. They began to try on a uniform. One tailor stood in front and began to pull it down, and the other, standing in the back, began to fasten my collar. The rear tailor began to tighten the tunic and then, with all the strength, began to squeeze it forward, to the buttons ... whole body ... "

Of course, it was not easy to get used to a soldier's uniform made of army cloth at 84 kopecks per arshin. Cut to fit, and lined with hard and dense canvas, it resembled a spacesuit that fettered the entire body. But, having some skill, it was not at all difficult to sew such a uniform, since its pattern is rather primitive and only five seams are needed to assemble a jacket with a collar and sleeves. The samples preserved in museums (the State Historical Museum in Moscow, the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, the A.V.Suvorov Museum in St. Petersburg) allow to reveal the little secrets of military tailors and describe in detail the manufacture of hussar uniforms during the reign Alexander I.

Dolman was the most difficult thing to make, and therefore the sewing of uniforms for the hussar began with him. Doloman had to "sit" on the person like a glove. Then the chakchirs and the mentik were adjusted to it, which in cut was a copy of the dolman, only slightly enlarged. Therefore, the treasury released 1 arshin of 9 vershoks of cloth for 84 kopecks for a dolman, and 1 arshin and 10 vershoks for a mentik of the same cloth.

The cut of the dolman and the mentic consisted of the following parts:
a) two identical parts "front-sidewall";
b) back;
c) two sleeves, each of two parts of equal width;
d) collar;
e) two cuffs.

No darts were made on the dolman, and nevertheless, it had to fit the shoulders, chest and back of the hussar without the slightest folds or sagging of the fabric. To achieve this, the cloth, as mentioned above, was stretched to the figure, applying moisture and ironing. In addition, two dorsal seams played a special role. Only by correctly determining their ratio and curvature, it was possible to "put" a uniform on a person. At the regimental tailoring of the beginning of the 19th century, this was done simply: the soldier put on a roughly sour-cream jacket over himself, and his comrades, chopping the details with pins, added or removed fabric.

Subsequently, to construct a pattern for a hussar dolman, they began to use complex volume calculations (it was required to take 12 measurements from the upper part of the figure) and proportional cutting methods. This is how these uniforms were sewn already at the beginning of the 20th century, when hussar regiments were again introduced in the Russian army (in 1907). Then, the military units received the book "The Complete Academic Course in Cutting a Men's Dress of the First Auxiliary Society of St. Petersburg Cutters" (St. Petersburg, 1906-1908), where in the section "Doloman for officers of hussar army regiments" , Fig. 9) this process was described in all possible details and the pattern itself was given. Doloman of the era of Alexander I had several features.

First, its length was determined by the height of a person. The hussar put his palm to the navel from below, and this line was the lower border of the cut. Secondly, on the back, the jacket had two protrusions similar to the wings. Their height reached 2 vershoks (about 9 cm), and their width - 5-6 cm, depending on the thickness of the figure. "Wings" served to support the sash. Thirdly, the armholes of the sleeves were made quite high, and the sleeves themselves seemed to go over the shoulders. Because of this, one or two small folds ran up in the armpits, but when the hussar raised his hands up, the dolman's floors (unlike modern jackets) did not move, it remained in place.

Dolman sleeves, according to the fashion of that time, were made narrow and long. Expanding slightly downward, they covered almost half of the palm. On the side there was a cut about 12 cm long, and therefore the sleeve, having unfastened the hooks on it, could be easily rolled up. The sleeves of the lower ranks had red leather overlays on the elbows, which contributed to the better preservation of the clothes.

The collars on the uniforms from l802 to 1812 were made very high (in the back - up to 11 cm, in the front - up to 9 cm) and unbuttoned. Such a collar of cloth and canvas, glued with fish glue, was stiff and rigid, holding the hussar's head as if in a box. At the beginning of 1812, the Russian army switched to other collars: lower ones, fastened in front with three hooks and tightly fitting the neck. It took a lot of tailoring to sew this collar correctly. When the dolman was fitted to the figure, they began to trim it with a cord and buttons.

There are two types of hussar cord on museum specimens of this time: flat, woven with a "pigtail" (dolman and mentic of the Pavlograd regiment in the State Historical Museum) and round, twisted (dolman of the Sumy regiment in the Suvorov Museum). In two rows of a cord with patterns ("hussar knot" of three rings), the privates sewed the collar, the entire jacket around the perimeter, cuffs and the edges of the sleeves. The back seams and "wings" were covered with three rows of patterned cord. The embroidery on the chest of the army hussars consisted of 15 rows of double cord (sometimes there were fewer rows; this depended on the height of the person). It took 30 yards of woolen cord to complete the joining of a dolman, 1 kopeck per one arshin, and 23 yards of yarn cord at the same price for a mentic.

Hussar buttons were one of the main decorations of the uniform and were very peculiar. Spherical hollow ball buttons for army hussars were "blown", that is, welded from two stamped halves (button diameter about 20 mm), went to the central row and served to fasten the mentic and dolman. Hemispherical buttons (one stamped half with a soldered "leg" - loop, diameter about 15 mm) went to the side rows. Spherical buttons for one set of "doloman-mentik" required 30 pieces, hemispherical - 60 pieces.

The buttons were expensive to make. The price of a spherical button reached 8 kopecks, a hemispherical one - 4 kopecks. The hussars had to take care of them, since they were given one set of buttons for ... 20 years. This meant that, every two years receiving a dolman and a mentik, the lower ranks would rip buttons from their old uniforms and rearrange them on new things. In case of loss of buttons, the hussars had to buy them with their own money, the treasury did not compensate for these expenses.

The dolman embroidered with cords and buttons and the mentik were put on the lining. The mentik had a lining of unpainted karazei (2 arshins, 24 kopecks each). Canvas was sewn into his sleeves (2 arshins, 6 kopecks each), on his chest and back - oilcloth (1 arshin, 7 kopecks each). For the fur trimming of the mentik, sheepskin tufts were used (75 kopecks for the whole piece). Dolman's lining was simpler, canvas (4 yards, 6 kopecks each). For sewing one piece of uniform, thread and thread wax, the treasury released 12 kopecks to the soldier.

To distinguish ranks, both the mentik and the dolman were decorated with special details. Trumpeters had "shells" on their shoulders, trimmed with the so-called bason (white or yellow woolen braid, 13-14 mm wide). Since 1809, the same trimmings were laid out at all the seams of their uniforms, which took 15 arshins of such a braid at a price of 8 kopecks per arshin. Non-commissioned officers were supposed to sew on their uniforms a gold or silver lace half a vershok wide (22 mm) and a price of 90 kopecks per arshin. It took 2 arshins (142 cm) of braid for cuffs and a dolman collar (until 1809, braid was sewn along the lower edge of the collar, then along the upper edge). On the mentic, the braid was placed over the fur lining of the sleeves. Fur color was also used to differentiate ranks. By the establishment of 1802, the privates were trimmed from white sheepskin, non-commissioned officers - from black, officers - from gray Crimean merlushek (similar to modern karakul). But by 1816, this harmonious system had undergone changes. In Sumy, Belorussky, Mariupol, Elisavetgrad and Irkutsk regiments, the privates got black fur, which, of course, was more practical, because the white sheepskin got dirty faster and lost its appearance. By the way, in November 1826, the white fur on the mentics of privates was replaced with black fur everywhere.

The very manufacture of a dolman for a private was 2 rubles and 2 kopecks, a dolman for a trumpeter - 3 rubles 22 kopecks, a dolman for a non-commissioned officer - 3 rubles 82 kopecks.

For a private of the Life Guards of the Hussar regiment, this piece of uniform, which had richer embroidery with cords and braid, cost much more: "Dolomanov to combat ranks according to the number of mentias; for each cloth of the commanded color, 1 arshin 9 vershoks, for an arshin 3 rubles; for the lining of the canvas 4 arshins 8 vershoks, 6 kopecks each; oilcloth 1 arshin 7 kopecks each; wide hussar braid 2 arshins 8 vershoks 12 kopecks each; narrow 9 arshins 9 vershoks 8 kopecks each; hussar cord 32 arshins 1 kopeck arshin ; for sewing and thread for 5 kopecks; total for one 6 rubles 45 and 3/4 kopecks; for the elbows of the dolman and for the trim around the loops and hooks, according to the pattern of red leather for each for 20 kopecks ... cast copper buttons: 17 large, 8 kopecks each; 34 smaller ones, 4 kopecks each; and just one dolman 2 rubles 72 kopecks ... In addition, a dolman of iron hooks with loops, one pair to the collar and to sleeves 10 pairs, for the portico (in the portico - 12 pairs. -A. B.) for 3 kopecks ... "

The officer's dolman was a real piece of decorative art. For its decoration, various decorative materials were used: twisted or braided cord 4-5 mm thick (it took up to 20 arshins in total for a uniform), braid 22 mm wide (up to 9 arshins), shading (flat thin cord woven with a "herringbone", up to 7 arshins), a fringe 22 mm wide (up to one and a half arshins). Instead of two rows of cord, one row of braid and two rows of cord were sewn onto the uniforms of officers. Blackout patterns were laid out on the field of the collar and cuffs, near the buttons and cords on the chest on the sides of the embroidery. Fringe framed this lace-up chest. For the chief officers, it was made of twisted threads, for the headquarters officers - threads with the addition of sequins. With the exception of some details, the officer's mentic also had the same decorations.

The embroidery in the front (tsifrovka) on the chakchirs of the front ranks of the Life Guards of the Hussar Regiment at the top for privates and non-commissioned officers, installed in 1809 and in 1816, at the bottom for officers, installed in 1809 and 1816.

At the beginning of the reign of Alexander I, it was established that hussar officers should sew on their uniforms a cord, braids, sheathing and fringes made of gold or silver threads (depending on the color of the metal device, yellow or white, assigned to the regiment). Accordingly, the buttons are gold or silver. Due to the fact that the Charter ordered officers to renew uniforms every year, equipment became a very significant item of officer's expenses.

Therefore, already in June 1803, the middle and senior command personnel of the hussar regiments were allowed to replace gold and silver on uniforms with silk cords, braids and fringes. In 1809, "to ease the costs of hussar officers", Emperor Alexander I ordered uniforms with gold and silver to be worn only on major holidays and festivals, and for everyday service to have them with a garus (that is, made of soft twisted woolen yarn) device. Garous things were cheaper than silk ones. But this did not become the limit in the requirements for the officer's uniform. In November 1812, when the Russian army, pursuing the retreating French, suffered no less than the latter from cold and hunger. The Ministry of War informed the hussar officers that gold and silver on uniforms could now be replaced with linen (fabric with a cotton base) and thus reduce the cost of uniforms even more.

However, ministerial officials were very far from the active army and its glorious hussar regiments. It is not known how many officers took advantage of this permit. There were regimental traditions and rules, which were sometimes adhered to much stricter than bureaucratic circulars. Everything depended on the regimental society itself, on who set the tone there: people of modest income, as in the Mariupol hussar regiment, or the first rich men of Russia, as in the Life Guards hussar. However, there were also jokers, like the Grodno hussars. As the author of the regimental history points out, "one of our officers once appeared at a ball in the city of Toropets with a whole picture of a hunt, embroidered with a rope on the dolman's chest, and a smiling silver moon on his back ...".

A. I. Begunova. Everyday life of a Russian hussar during the reign of Alexander I. - M .: Mol. guard, 2000.

Doloman and the mentic

Details of the cut of the hussar dolman in 1802-1811: a)? "Front-sidewall" (two); b) back; c) sleeve (two); d) a collar made of instrument cloth; e) cuff (two) made of instrument cloth.

The cut of the dolman and the mentic consisted of the following parts (see fig.):

a) two identical details "front-sidewall";

b) back;

c) two sleeves, each of two parts of equal width;

d) collar;

e) two cuffs.

No darts were made on the dolman, and nevertheless, it had to fit the shoulders, chest and back of the hussar without the slightest folds or sagging of the fabric. To achieve this, the cloth, as mentioned above, was stretched to the figure, applying moisture and ironing. In addition, two dorsal seams played a special role. Only by correctly determining their ratio and curvature, it was possible to "put" the uniform on a person. At the regimental seamstresses of the beginning of the 19th century, this was done simply: the soldier put on a roughly sour-cream jacket over himself, and his comrades, chopping the details with pins, added or removed fabric.

Subsequently, to construct a pattern for a hussar dolman, they began to use complex volume calculations (it was required to take 12 measurements from the upper part of the figure) and proportional cutting methods. This is how these uniforms were sewn already at the beginning of the 20th century, when hussar regiments were again introduced in the Russian army (in 1907). Then, the military units received the book "The Complete Academic Course in Cutting a Men's Dress of the First Auxiliary Society of St. Petersburg Cutters" (St. Petersburg, 1906-1908), where in the section "Doloman for officers of hussar army regiments" , fig. 9) this process was described with all possible details and the pattern itself was given (see diagram on p. 148).

Doloman of the era of Alexander I had several features.

First, its length was determined by the height of a person. The hussar put his palm to the navel from below, and this line was the lower border of the cut. Secondly, on the back, the jacket had two protrusions similar to the wings. Their height reached 2 vershoks (about 9 cm), and their width - 5–6 cm, depending on the thickness of the figure. "Wings" served to support the sash. Thirdly, the armholes of the sleeves were made quite high, and the sleeves themselves seemed to go over the shoulders. Because of this, one or two small folds ran up in the armpits, but when the hussar raised his hands up, the dolman's floors (unlike modern jackets) did not move, it remained in place.

Construction of a dolman pattern for officers of army hussar regiments, 1907-1917.

The collars on the uniforms from 1802 to 1812 were made very high (in the back - up to 11 cm, in the front - up to 9 cm) and unbuttoned. Such a collar of cloth and canvas, glued with fish glue, was stiff and rigid, holding the hussar's head as if in a box. At the beginning of 1812, the Russian army switched to other collars: lower ones, fastened in front with three hooks and tightly fitting the neck. It took a lot of tailoring to sew this collar correctly.

When the dolman was fitted to the figure, they began to trim it with a cord and buttons.

There are two types of hussar cord on museum specimens of this time: flat, woven with a "pigtail" (dolman and mentic of the Pavlograd regiment in the State Historical Museum) and round, twisted (dolman of the Sumy regiment in the Suvorov Museum). With two rows of cord with patterns ("hussar knot" of three rings), the privates sewed the collar, the entire jacket around the perimeter, cuffs and the edges of the sleeves. Three rows of patterned cord were wrapped around the back seams and "wings". The embroidery on the chest of the army hussars consisted of 15 rows of double cord (sometimes there were fewer rows; this depended on the height of the person). It took 30 yards of woolen cord to complete the joining of a dolman, 1 kopeck per one arshin, and 23 yards of yarn cord at the same price for a mentic.

Hussar buttons were one of the main decorations of the uniform and were very peculiar. Spherical hollow ball buttons for army hussars were "blown", that is, welded from two stamped halves (button diameter about 20 mm), went to the central row and served to fasten the mentic and dolman. Hemispherical buttons (one stamped half with a soldered "leg" - loop, diameter about 15 mm (18)) went to the side rows. Spherical buttons for one set of "doloman-mentik" required 30 pieces, hemispherical - 60 pieces

The buttons were expensive to make. The price of a spherical button reached 8 kopecks, a hemispherical one - 4 kopecks, the hussars had to take care of them, since they were given one set of buttons for… 20 years. This meant that, every two years receiving a dolman and a mentik, the lower ranks would rip buttons from their old uniforms and rearrange them on new things. In case of loss of buttons, the hussars had to buy them with their own money, the treasury did not compensate for these expenses.

Doloman and the mentic of an ordinary Pavlograd hussar regiment in 1809-1812.

Fur color was also used to differentiate ranks. By the establishment of 1802, the privates were trimmed from white sheepskin, non-commissioned officers - from black, officers - from gray Crimean merlushek (similar to modern karakul). But by 1816, this harmonious system had undergone changes. In Sumy, Belorussky, Mariupol, Elisavetgrad and Irkutsk regiments, the privates got black fur, which, of course, was more practical, because the white sheepskin got dirty faster and lost its appearance. By the way, in November 1826, the white fur on the mentics of privates was replaced with black fur everywhere.

The very manufacture of a dolman for a private was 2 rubles and 2 kopecks, a dolman for a trumpeter - 3 rubles 22 kopecks, a dolman for a non-commissioned officer - 3 rubles 82 kopecks.

For a private of the Life Guards of the Hussar regiment, this piece of uniform, which had richer embroidery with cords and braid, cost much more:

“Dolomanov to combat ranks according to the number of mentias; for each cloth of the commanded color, 1 arshin 9 vershoks, for an arshin 3 rubles; on the lining of the canvas 4 arshins 8 vershoks, 6 kopecks each; oilcloths 1 arshin for 7 kopecks; wide hussar braid 2 arshins 8 vershoks 12 kopecks each; narrow 9 arshins 9 vershoks 8 kopecks each; hussar line 32 arshins 1 kopeck each. arshin; for sewing and thread for 5 kopecks; total for one 6 rubles 45 and 3/4 kopecks; on the elbows of the dolman and on the trim around the loops and hooks, according to the pattern of red leather for each for 20 kopecks ... Besides, the dolman has cast copper buttons: large 17, each 8 kopecks; smaller 34, each 4 kopecks; and for just one dolman 2 rubles 72 kopecks ... Besides, a dolman of iron hooks with loops, one pair to the collar and 10 pairs to the sleeves, behind the portico (in the portico - 12 pairs - A.B.) for 3 kopecks ... "(19)

Doloman and the mentic of a private Pavlograd hussar regiment in 1820-1824.

The officer's dolman was a real piece of decorative art. For its decoration, various decorative materials were used: twisted or braided cord 4-5 mm thick (it took up to 20 arshins in total for the uniform), braid 22 mm wide (up to 9 arshins), shading (flat thin cord woven with a herringbone, up to 7 arshins), a fringe 22 mm wide (up to one and a half arshins). Instead of two rows of cord, one row of braid and two rows of cord were sewn onto the uniforms of officers. Blackout patterns were laid out on the field of the collar and cuffs, near the buttons and cords on the chest on the sides of the embroidery. Fringe framed this lace-up chest. For the chief officers, it was made of twisted threads, for the headquarters officers - threads with the addition of sequins. With the exception of some details, the officer's mentic also had the same decorations.

Front facing (tsifrovka) on the chakchirs of the front ranks of the Life Guards of the Hussar Regiment: above: for privates and non-commissioned officers, installed in 1809 and in 1816; below: for officers, installed in 1809 and 1816.

Therefore, already in June 1803, the middle and senior command personnel of the hussar regiments were allowed to replace gold and silver on uniforms with silk cords, braids and fringes. In 1809, “to ease the costs of hussar officers”, Emperor Alexander I ordered uniforms with gold and silver to be worn only on major holidays and shows, and for everyday service to have them with a garus (that is, made of soft twisted woolen yarn) device. Garous things were cheaper than silk ones. But this did not become the limit in the requirements for the officer's uniform. In November 1812, when the Russian army, pursuing the retreating French, suffered no less than the latter from cold and hunger, the War Ministry informed the hussar officers that gold and silver on uniforms could now be replaced with linen (fabric with a cotton base) and thus reduce the cost uniforms even more.

However, ministerial officials were very far from the active army and its glorious hussar regiments. It is not known how many officers took advantage of this permit. There were regimental traditions and rules, which were sometimes adhered to much stricter than bureaucratic circulars. Everything depended on the regimental society itself, on who set the tone there: people of modest income, as in the Mariupol hussar regiment, or the first rich men of Russia, as in the Life Guards Hussar. However, there were also jokers, like the Grodno hussars. As the author of the regimental history points out, "one of our officers once appeared at a ball in the town of Toropets with a whole picture of a hunt, embroidered with a rope on the dolman's chest, and a silver smiling moon on his back ..." (20).

Hungarian - short jacket trimmed with cords on the chest... This piece of clothing gradually penetrated into Russia. And before the Russian hussars put on the uniform in which they won a victory over Napoleon in 1812, the Hungarian woman made her way to Russia, starting from the XV-XVI centuries.

National Hungarian clothing was formed on the basis of the interaction of the ancient Hungarian costume with the Turkish one. For several hundred years, continuous military clashes between the West and the East took place on the territory of Hungary. Turkish oppression, numerous wars devastated and ruined the country. Along with old Hungarian clothing, there were other options - medieval European costume and oriental. It was the eastern elements that were later used by the Hungarians and entered their national costumes.

Cut elements, fasteners on the chest in the form of rows of decorative cord with air loops and tassels, hats with sultans, fur trim - all these elements have become an obligatory part of the Hungarian national dress. Already in the 15th century, these elements became the property of the uniform of an officer of the Hungarian light cavalry. These were the hussars who repulsed the attacks of the Turkish cavalry.

Then the distinctive features of the Hungarian costume began to spread in Europe. Moreover, a significant part of the Hungarian soldiers, usually young, were looking for better means of subsistence in other countries. When recruiting for military service, they were taken into account not only as warriors, but also their appearance and colorful national costume.

Hungarians have served in many countries. Once in the royal guard of Louis XIV, the Hungarians, with their brilliant and picturesque appearance, gave special solemnity to the king's entrance.

Hussar regiments in the Russian Army appeared in the middle of the 18th century, approximately in 1751 - 1760. Their uniforms were significantly different from those of other types of cavalry. This is due to its origin. At that time, many who were in the hussar regiments were from Serbia, Hungary and the Slavs, who came from the Austrian possessions between the Bug and the Dnieper.

It was they who brought with them this type of clothing, close to the national Hungarian costume. It consisted of the following main items: dolman, mentik, chakchirs (leggings), boots, shako, sash. Mentic was an overcoat lined with fur at the collar and sides, with horizontal rows of cords on the chest.

Portrait from above - Denis Davydov
Bottom portrait - Lermontov

Doloman is also a jacket, decorated with rows of cords both in front and behind, a mentik was put on it. Mentikas in the summer were worn thrown over the left shoulder, and in the winter they were worn in sleeves over the dolman. Chakchirs, or hussar leggings, were patterned with a cord. I liked the form in Russia for its uniqueness and elegance. Over the course of a century, it has changed, but at the same time its main features have been preserved.

Based on the origin of the hussar uniform, it becomes clear why jackets - dolman and mentics began to be called Hungarian. But at the same time there was another Hungarian - civilian. Most often it was a blue caftan, embroidered on the chest with cords. These clothes resembled a caftan of pre-Petrine times. Russian landowners loved to wear it.

The popularity of the hussar uniform and at the same time the civilian Hungarian woman continued almost until the end of the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century, the female version of the hussar jacket or Hungarian came into fashion - it was a short woolen jacket trimmed with braid or.

Today, interesting models of women's clothing in military style often appear on the catwalks, and therefore you can see elements of Hungarian and Russian military uniforms. Modern designers are inspired by national costumes, because beauty is eternal.

Photo above - Balmain
Photo below - Alessandra Rich

Doloman (Hungarian dolmany) is the national outerwear for men in Hungary, known since the 15th century. Doloman tightly fitted the figure and was worn over a shirt, usually cut with a peplum, belted with a sash or leather belt. Dolman's stand-up collar covered his neck; the fastener was a row of metal buttons with welt or air loops.

Artist Orest Adamovich Kiprensky.
Portrait of the Life-Hussar Colonel Evgraf Vladimirovich Davydov in a dolman.

In the 17th century, Hungarian hussars spread this type of clothing among the troops of Western Europe. Dolman appeared in Russia in 1741 as an official military uniform. The dolman hussar uniform was embroidered along the chest, sleeves and back with gold or silver cords for officers, and yellow or white cords for lower ranks, including privates.

Actually, the dolman got off with cords of a color contrasting with the cloth of the jacket. The number of cords could reach fifteen, although quite often in paintings one can see an image of hussar uniforms with a smaller number of them, since when fitting a dolman to a figure, they were not always placed. The color of the dolman cloth - yellow, blue or red - depended on the rank and regiment.

Chief officer and non-commissioned officer of the hussar regiment of Archduke Ferdinand, 1826-1828.

Sewing a uniform for a hussar began with a dolman, since making it was the most difficult task of a tailor. Doloman had to "sit" on the person like a glove. Then the chakchirs and the mentik were adjusted to it, which in cut was a copy of the dolman, only slightly enlarged. No darts were made on the dolman, and nevertheless, it had to fit the shoulders, chest and back of the hussar without the slightest folds or sagging of the fabric. To achieve this, the cloth, as mentioned above, was stretched to the figure, applying moisture and ironing.

Doloman as a form of the Russian imperial army.
Staff officer and private of the Klyastitsky hussar regiment, 1838-1843.

In addition, in the manufacture of dolman, two back seams played a special role. Only by correctly determining their ratio and curvature, it was possible to "put" the uniform on a person. At the regimental tailoring of the beginning of the 19th century, this was done simply: the soldier put on a roughly sour-cream jacket over himself, and his comrades, chopping the details with pins, added or removed fabric. When the dolman was fitted to the figure, they began to trim it with a cord and buttons.

Non-commissioned officers of the Ingermanland and Narva hussars, 1826-1828.

Doloman of the era of Alexander I had several features. First, its length was determined by the height of a person. The hussar put his palm to the navel from below, and this line was the lower border of the cut. Secondly, on the back, the jacket had two protrusions similar to the wings. Their height reached about nine centimeters, and their width was up to six centimeters, depending on the thickness of the figure. "Wings" served to support the sash.

Thirdly, the armholes of the sleeves were made quite high, and the sleeves themselves seemed to go over the shoulders. Because of this, one or two small folds ran up in the armpits, but when the hussar raised his hands up, the dolman's floors did not move, he remained in place. Dolman sleeves, according to the fashion of that time, were made narrow and long. Expanding slightly downward, they covered almost half of the palm. On the side there was a slit about twelve centimeters long, and therefore the sleeve, having unfastened the hooks on it, could easily be rolled up. The sleeves of the lower ranks had red leather overlays on the elbows, which contributed to the better preservation of the clothes.

Doloman as a form of uniform for the Russian imperial army.
Privates of Akhtyrsky, Alexandria and Count Wittgenstein of the hussar regiments.

In the second half of the 19th century, dolman came into fashion as women's clothing, being a kind of manifestation of patriotism during the Crimean War, since the uniform of the hussars of 1812 was taken as the basis, however, the fashionable female dolman got off with cords to match the cloth, and not in contrast and often with fur, like a mentik.