Quote Originally Posted by HarborSpringsPiper View Post
I think this is an excellent observation and I too wonder what was going on there. Were they not using any garters at all? Were they using a woven tie garter without visible ends? Were they using elastic garters and didn't bother with flashes? Did the artist, MacLeay, just not capture this detail in some of his paintings?
Given Kenneth MacLeay's exquisite eye for detail, I suspect that in those water colours done for Queen Victoria where garters aren't to be seen, that they are under the turnover of the hose. 17 of the men depicted in the pictures do have garters so it seems doubtful the others were omitted by the painter. In addition to the 17 already mentioned, MacLeay's posthumous portrait of Prince Albert (done from a photograph) and his portrait of The Chisholm (done from life) show both gentlemen to be wearing garters.

Whether some of these garters are elastic... well, that's anyone's guess.