Waterloo, 1815

[sksvlad]

One of the men in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo was Antoine Favreau, who was in Napoleon’s army. The young soldier, like others in his class, wore a golden breastplate, which offered suitable protection under most circumstances, potentially saving one’s life against swords or weapons of war. The protection the armor provided had its limits though, and for poor young Favreau, a cannonball went right through his armor, taking a chunk of him with it. The young man was due to wed before he had his life taken from him, making this breastplate a symbol of a life taken too soon.[FONT=&amp]
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[Millsman]

Ouch. At least it was quick....

 

[M8owner]

That is a cuirass, and that would have made him a cuirassier or heavy cavalry trooper. I imagine a great amount of scrubbing would have been required before that was ready for display in a museum. It is interesting to note that French cavalry were still wearing these even in the early months of WWI.

 

[kiwieod]

that shiny breastplate must of made a good target,completely the opposite of what we were taught in the army

 

[M8owner]

Of course, by WWI the French cavalry concealed the cuirass under a canvas cover much like the Germans did with their pickelhaube helmets.

 

[sksvlad]

https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/26r0xa/when_might_you_guess_this_picture_was_taken_these/

I tried to paste a real 1914 web photo, it works but only if you copy and paste into url window