Plate 85:  The Band of the Life Guards with a souvenir program of The Queen's Guards Tattoo
(This plate added AUG 2004)

The accompanying photo is similar to Plate 84, except for the background. The publication in the background of this photo is a souvenir program of The Queen's Guards Tattoo, a military ceremonial exercise that toured the American cities of Philadelphia, New York, and Boston in September and October of 1968. The word tattoo is derived from the Dutch word taptoe. Tattoo has several meanings, but in the sense used here, tattoo simply means "an outdoor military exercise". The souvenir program is opened to page 17, which bears a color photograph of the drum horse of the band of The Life Guards, the same unit that is represented by the toy soldiers in the foreground. --more--

A close examination will reveal that the drummer whose photograph appears in the souvenir program is uniformed differently from the drummer represented by the toy soldier in the foreground. The drummer in the background photo is wearing a scarlet tunic and a shining metal helmet with a white plume. The toy drummer is wearing a uniform of gold cloth with a dark green cap. The gold uniform is known as State Dress, and is worn upon state occasions, such as the celebration of the birthday of the reigning monarch. The band that appeared in The Queen's Guards Tattoo was not uniformed in State Dress, because a tattoo is not a state occasion. Go to top of page