Epaulet pea jacket sailor of the 1st fleet of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of the crew

Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich was one of the brightest representatives of the Russian Imperial house. Father, Emperor Nicholas I, was elected for the son of a career sailor, so from the age of five the education of the future the General-Admiral has done an outstanding Russian naval figure and scientist, Admiral F. P. Litke. A great influence on the personality of the Grand Prince had a tutor, his brother Alexander, the poet V. A. Zhukovsky. At the age of 17 Constantine had already commanded a ship, and since 1855, became an Admiral and Governor of the Naval Ministry. That's when it and largely due to his talent and energy was carried out a radical reform of the Russian Navy, which put it on par with the navies of the leading Maritime powers. Since 1858 the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich was listed as chef 1-naval crew, in connection with which 22 Dec 1858 sailors on the shoulder straps and on the shoulder straps and epaulettes of the officers of this part was introduced encryption in the form of a monogram To the crown. On the shoulder straps the monogram of the sailors were made in cloth with a special stamp, and then placed a white cloth and pretrazivaca in a circle. After the death of the Grand Duke in 1892, he remained "the eternal chief" of the crew, in this connection to officials of the latter was confirmed by the right to wear monograms K. In 1896, and expanded metal of encryption in the entire Navy was replaced by the printed, inflicts paint on the stencil, which allows you to define the upper time boundary of the Dating subject. An interesting feature of the ring is a liner, made from black and from grey greatcoat cloth; the latter had in the Navy is quite limited application. Its use, coupled with a rather roughly cut the top part of the ring suggests that the shoulder straps intended to be worn on clothing with a collar for everyday wear, which did not go to the city (most likely on the jacket). Interesting and rare subject of the history of the Russian Navy. Recommended!