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You can fight, soldier man, but can you fight in a foot tall fur hat and a snappy outfit strung with tassels? Or a winged golden helmet and some casually draped suspenders? This 1892 photo album from Bibliothèque Nationale rustled up by the Rio Wang blog is fascinating. Who knew that future Czar Nicolas II was such a fox? With the Revolution still deep in the future, the Russian Empire army was undergoing a large-scale modernization, giving plenty excuses to pose in neat rows with their horses and fancy cannons. And, of course, those uniforms! See a few of our favorites in our gallery.

Image credit: Bibliothèque Nationale via Rio Wang