I am not unique in often wanting to date a photograph. The broad brush of uniform below the neck is fairly well documented and understood.
The "properly dressed" soldier wore/ wears a hat out of doors, and the headdress changes are often not synchronous with clothing changes. Thus a combination of hat/coat [and weapon] can pin down a range of dates much better than a single item.
I have never seen an idiots' guide to the lineage of head wear for full dress from the earliest days to now, let alone the parallel series of hats for undress. Even a LIST with dates [or periods] would help, although illustrations would be needed for the less well-known items.
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