Madras Army

A Sepoy, of the Madras Army, showing the standard issue shako worn in 1852. A shako is a tall, cylindrical, peaked cap, sometimes tapered at the top. The cap is usually adorned with some kind of ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise, and often has a feather, plume, or pompon attached at the top. The word 'shako' originated from the Hungarian name csákós süveg (peaked cap), which was a part of the uniform of the Hungarian hussar of the 18th century.