The Dessau Specification of 1737

The so-called Dessau Specification of 1737 (DS 37) presents for the first time a comprehensive depiction of the uniforming of the Old Prussian army, in that it includes not only the officer's uniform but also the uniforms of the private, the grenadier (in the infantry, although the coat was identical to that of the musketeer, the grenadier cap is shown), the musician and the non-commissioned officer, including the unit's field sign.

The musketeer's hat is not shown, but its hat plume corresponded to that of the grenadier cap.

In the fusilier regiments the fusilier cap is also depicted.

The plate for No. 23 is not complete and for the plate of No. 24 only the outlines or the scheme are present. Obviously this was already the case in the original version, because otherwise F. G. Melzner, when publishing the DS 37 (black-and-white) in 1974, would have, for example, completed the plate for No. 23, since he also had the photos of the Anhalt originals and made corresponding comparisons.

The DS 37 had a predecessor, namely the Dessau Specification of 1729. However, this depicted only the uniform of the private and the respective unit's field sign.

In both cases the commission to produce these uniform series goes back to the House of Anhalt or to the Old Dessauer (Prince Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau, * 03.07.1676 in Dessau; † 09.04.1747 there), intended as birthday gifts for King Frederick William I.

Incidentally, other countries already had comparable uniform series at that time (e.g., in France in 1721 and 1724).

These originals still existed in the 19th century, but the copies in Berlin apparently were lost already in the second half of that century.

The duplicates in the archive of the House of Anhalt-Dessau also did not survive the Second World War.

At the beginning of the 20th century, however, copies (7) were made by the artist Fresenius, of which the last known examples were in the former archive of the Münster-based military historian Dr. Hans Bleckwenn.

At that time (i.e., before 1945) large-format photographs of the Anhalt originals (DS 29 and 37) were also made. One of these photo series was given to the author — who at the time was working as a freelance contributor at Biblio-Verlag/Osnabrück — by Dr. Bleckwenn for unrestricted use, and is now published here for the benefit of uniform studies.

For the uniforms themselves, reference is made to the already published relevant articles in this special feature.

See also: F. G. Melzner (ed.), The Dessau Specification of 1737. Osnabrück 1974 (uncolored).