Both French and British army officers encountered kilij and shamshir sabres as a result of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt (1798–1801). Termed 'mameluke sabres' after the Mamluk warrior caste of Egypt, they became a fashionable accessory for officers, particularly senior officers. Similar swords were also found in India, and these probably influenced British officers also. Mameluke swords, both Middle Eastern and copies made in Europe, were adopted, unofficially, by officers of light cavalry regiments in the first decade of the 19th century, some were used as 'walking out swords' (for ornamental wear on social occasions on foot) but others were employed on active campaign. They are prominent in images of officers of the British Hussar regiments painted by Robert Dighton jr. in 1807. As officially regulated dress or levée swords they first appear in 1822 for lancer regiments. Soon, other light cavalry and some heavy cavalry regiments also adopted similar patterns.