Uniforms aren’t uniform

Soldiers wearing camouflage or identical clothing during a military parade create a uniform visual impression (Latin: una forma, meaning one form), which exudes military might. In contrast, Adolf Pochon's drawings of the Papal Swiss Guard's military attire reveal a remarkably colourful and diverse wardrobe.

By Christina Gerber

Depiction of a Papal Swiss Guard soldier in everyday uniform, wearing a white ruff, puffed sleeves and slashed breeches. — Adolf Pochon: Papal Swiss Guard, soldier in everyday uniform, 1821

With its white ruff, puffed sleeves and slashed breeches, the splendidly colourful uniform of the Papal Swiss Guard is instantly recognisable. Introduced by Commander Jules Maxime Repond (1853–1933), this blue, red and yellow uniform was designed to evoke the 16th-century dress worn in the early days of the pope’s guardians and has been in use by the Papal Swiss Guard since 1914. This uniform, worn for official occasions, is also known as the gala uniform. Guardsmen also wear simple blue drill uniforms, training uniforms or even business suits when serving as bodyguards. The drummers of the Papal Swiss Guard wear distinctive yellow and black uniforms, while the officers don red velvet. Here we see that military uniforms have evolved over time, varying according to purpose and rank.

Different looks for different ranks

While both uniforms feature blue coats and red trousers, they differ in the details on the footwear, headgear, sleeves and collar. — Comparison of a corporal and a lieutenant colonel wearing uniforms from 1850 (watercolours by Adolf Pochon)

A comparison of two drawings from 1850 – one of a lieutenant colonel, the other of a lower-ranking corporal – reveals a meticulous attention to detail in depicting different ranks. Accessories have the biggest role to play in distinguishing between levels of the hierarchy: simple footwear versus sturdy boots, narrow belts versus wider versions, knee-length swords versus those that reach to the ground – all visual cues that show the corporal’s subordination to the lieutenant colonel. The corporal wears a shako (cylindrical cap) with a pompom, while the lieutenant colonel’s headgear sports a plume. The sleeves and collar of the jacket, as well as the colour of the shako, also differ, indicating hierarchy between the ranks.

Colourful cadences

The uniforms of the Papal Swiss Guard’s military band are likewise remarkably diverse. The musicians’ appearance plays an important role, as the performance of military music unites visual spectacle with auditory experience. A comparison of drummers’ winter and summer dress from 1831 reveals that both parade uniforms feature epaulettes, lending them a ceremonial air. Two red pompoms adorn both the shako – which provides shade in the summer – and the fur cap – which warms the wearer in winter. In summer temperatures, thin, light-coloured, airy trousers are worn; in winter, on the other hand, thicker dark trousers with decorative stripes make an appearance.

A time lapse of changing uniforms

The winter uniform, featuring a fur cap and thick dark trousers, is considerably warmer than its summer counterpart with a shako and lighter trousers. — A drummer in winter and summer uniform, 1831, in two watercolours by Adolf Pochon

Pochon’s watercolours of Papal Swiss Guard uniforms from 1793 to 1860 make the evolution of military dress over this period readily apparent. Each new ordinance brought fresh colours or changes to garments and equipment. Sometimes there were deliberate decisions to reference earlier eras.

The images below show the evolution of a sergeant major’s uniform: in 1793, he wore a metal plumed helmet, body armour, a coat extending slightly below the waist and red slashed breeches with wide blue stripes; in 1797, the coat retreated to hip length, and the stripes on the breeches shrank and became lighter. Twenty-five years later, the trousers became entirely red, and the hip-length coat changed from blue to black. The stockings, which had been light-coloured at the turn of the century, turned red. Another twenty years on, the stockings became brown, and brown elements joined red tones on the trousers; the coat was dark blue. By 1860, the uniform returned to an earlier style, with a black coat and red bottoms that echoed the 1820s.

The five images show the evolution of the uniform for a sergeant major, as described in the article. — Adolf Pochon: Uniforms for a sergeant major 1793, 1797, 1822, 1842 and 1860

In their rich variety, these watercolours of Papal Swiss Guard uniforms are just a sample of the more than 1,000 uniforms documented by Adolf Pochon. His watercolours showcase the wide array of military dress from various Swiss regiments and foreign service troops – spanning different eras, depicting a range of ranks and functions, and accompanied by meticulously detailed renderings of accessories such as headgear, footwear, belts, flags and even musical instruments.

Adolf Pochon’s watercolours bring Swiss military history and the diverse world of military dress alive.

Adolf Pochon (born 1869 in Cortaillod, died 1931 in Bern) trained as a goldsmith in Germany. In 1898 he married Lina Anna Demme. In 1899 he took over his father's business together with his brother Hans Pochon. He was a contributor to the Historical and Biographical Dictionary of Switzerland and a board member of the Swiss Society for a Historical Collection from the World War Period. He was a collector, draughtsman and copyist of military uniforms.

The Prints and Drawings Department of the National Library houses Adolf Pochon’s archive, which contains more than 1,400 drawings and watercolours of historical military uniforms.