Pantalon rouge

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    French infantry uniform of 1914
    A progression of French infantry uniforms from 1837 (left) to 1870 (right)

    The pantalon rouge (French for 'red trousers') were an integral part of the uniform of the French army from 1829 to 1914. Some parts of the Kingdom of France's army already wore red trousers or breeches but the French Revolution saw the introduction of white trousers for infantrymen. Following the 1814 Bourbon Restoration white breeches or blue trousers were worn but red trousers for infantry were adopted in 1829 to encourage the French rose madder dye-growing industry.

    By the early 20th century other European nations had adopted drab

    First World War. The lack of supply of the German-supplied artificial alizarin dye, which had replaced the traditional rose madder, led to the French adopting, in December 1914, a less conspicuous horizon blue
    uniform, based on Messimy's proposal.

    Use

    During the later Kingdom of France uniforms varied significantly between regiments but red breeches were worn by generals, members of the royal household, most of the dragoons and the Maréchaussée (until 1763). Some infantry regiments wore red breeches but most wore blue, white or grey. After the revolution breeches were replaced with trousers in the army and during the French Revolutionary Wars infantrymen wore white trousers. Infantry wore a number of colours of trouser during the Napoleonic Wars but red was worn only by cavalrymen of the Imperial Guards of Honour, the lancers, three regiments of hussars and the 3rd Regiment of Scouts of the Imperial Guard.[1]

    The

    chasseurs à cheval and most regiments of hussars.[1]

    The pantalon rouge were adopted by the French Army on 26 July 1829, to encourage the rose madder dye-growing industry in France.[1][2] By the 20th century the synthetic dye alizarin, imported from Germany, was used to colour the pantalon rouge. The French infantry wore the same pattern of trouser from 1867 to 1914.[3] During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 the trousers became synonymous with the French army such that civilians referred to soldiers as pantalon rouge.[2]

    Replacement

    A comparison of French (upper), British (lower left) and Belgian (lower right) army uniforms in 1914

    With changes in battlefield technology and tactics comparable European armies had switched from colourful uniforms to more

    First World War. The British Army generally adopted a Khaki drill uniform, in place of the traditional infantryman's redcoat, around the time of the Second Boer War (1899–1902) and the German army replaced its traditional Prussian blue uniform with feldgrau, a grayish green color.[4][5] Suggestions that the French army adopt predominantly brown or grey uniforms were rejected in the decades preceding the war.[6]

    After observing the actions of the 1912–13 Balkan Wars the French minister of war Adolphe Messimy, well-regarded as a humane and professional army officer, proposed replacing the pantalon rouge, red kepis and blue tunics with less conspicuous colours.[5][7] Messimy's proposal was for a uniform of so-called tricolore fabric, woven from a mix of 60% blue wool, 30% red wool and 10% white wool.[3]

    The proposal was fiercely opposed in the press which objected to the army wearing "muddy, inglorious" colours; the

    Écho de Paris stated that "to banish all that is colourful, all that gives the soldier his vivid aspect, is to go contrary both to French taste and military function".[8][9] Former war minister Eugène Étienne also opposed the proposal, declaring "jamais! le pantalon rouge, c'est la France" ("never! the red trousers are France"), which became a catchphrase of the conservative movement in France.[5][10] The outcry over the proposal almost cost Messimy his ministerial position.[7]

    The infantryman's uniform, including the pantalon rouge, was especially visible in the yellow-cropped fields that were fought over in August and September 1914, contributing to the high French casualty rate.

    Armée d’Afrique initially adopted uniforms made from khaki cloth manufactured in Britain, but later changed to a lighter brown colour with a yellowish tinge known as "mustard".[11]

    Gallery

    • A poster for a 1904 operetta entitled Le Pantalon Rouge and depicting a French army officer

      A poster for a 1904 operetta entitled Le Pantalon Rouge and depicting a French army officer

    • French light infantry uniform, 1830

      French light infantry uniform, 1830

    French army uniforms from 1820 (upper left) to 1918 (lower right)

    References

    1. ^ a b c L'intermédiaire des chercheurs et curieux (in French). Benj. Duprat, Libraire de l'Institut. 1919. pp. 37–38.
    2. ^ a b Ludovici, Albert (1926). An Artist's Life in London and Paris, 1870-1925. T.F. Unwin Limited. p. 33.
    3. ^ a b c Matthews David, Alison (2003). "Decorated Men: Fashioning the French Soldier, 1852-1914". Fashion Theory. 7 (1): 32.
    4. ISBN 978-1-7363873-2-0
      .
    5. ^
      ISBN 978-0-520-08018-8
      .
    6. ISBN 978-0-7864-9058-5
      .
    7. ^
      ISBN 978-1-84468-010-8. Archived
      from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
    8. ISBN 978-1-317-86849-1
      .
    9. ^ Army History: The Professional Bulletin of Army History. U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1992. p. 16.
    10. ISBN 978-1-84468-010-8. Archived
      from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
    11. ISBN 978-1291187441
      .
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