Historian's Guild discussion

If that is the helmet British soldiers wore in "Gunga Din" in the campaigns against the Thuggees, I'm all in! I'm not sure of its effectiveness in battle but it makes a great fashion statement with the ladies. Of course, it also helps if the user resembles Cary Grant or Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Wait. GS did you buy one to impress the ladies?

There are plenty of outrageous helmets and hats from the Napoleonic Era. Among my favorite are the busby (or colback), which must be terribly impractical. Here is an image of a French hussar wearing a busby as painted by Herbert Knötel:



I'm also partial to the brass helmets with horsehair plumes of the dragoons and cuirassiers. These helmets hearken back to Roman times. Again, I doubt these helmets offered much protection and they had to have been unwieldy especially on horseback. Nevertheless, they are imposing and impressive.

My understanding is that these helmets and other headgear of the time (the tall shakos and bearskin caps) were designed to make the man wearing it seem more imposing, particularly by making him appear taller. The helmets were not unique in this respect for most uniforms from this period place no emphasis on protection.