Original Great War French Army Officers Horizon Blue Tunic

An original French Army Officers Tunic dating from the First World War and made from a horizon blue whipcord.

This tunic is the iconic Horizon Blue colour worn by the French Army during the Great War. It features a stand and fall collar with three clips, two slanted chest pockets, lower flapped bellows pockets, epaulettes, a French cuff and a full belt design to the waist. The tunic is cut with a narrow shoulder displacement which, along with the full waist belt, is typical of the Edwardian era.

The lining material is again typical of the era. A full set of matching buttons are present, save the ones on the epaulets which are missing and there is clear evidence of where the collar insignia was previously attached. The sleeve bares original rank insignia which is a nice feature. There also appear to be evidence of where medal ribbons or similar have been fixed above the left chest pocket at some stage in the past.

The interior also shows signs of where a tailors label was once present in the neck. This is where labels on Great War officers items are typically found but there also appears to be other traces of another label to one of the interior pockets so it may well have had two. This would not be uncommon to find.

The tunic is a reasonable size measuring at 20 1/4" pit to pit and 16 3/4" in the waist.

The condition of the jacket is reasonable considering it is over 100 year olds. It is not however perfect by any means with various areas of light damage which I have attempted to detail in the pictures. It is by no means in poor condition but it has plenty of signs of wear and age commensurate with its vintage. Overall however it displays well and the condition has been reflected in the price.

This tunic would make a great addition to any WW1 collection without a doubt!