The Royal Mail has released six new stamps celebrating almost 350 years of British army uniforms.

They range from the brightly-dressed troopers of the 17th Century to the more sombre outfits from the two world wars, to the camouflaged uniform of modern-day soldiers.

Julietta Edgar, head of special stamps at the Royal Mail, said the stamps provided a "fascinating insight" into the changes in the outfits of a working soldier.

The series of six stamps are the first of three military uniform-themed stamps to be released.

Next year, an issue of RAF uniforms will go on sale, followed by Royal Navy uniforms in 2009.

Brigadier Hickson, director of the British Forces Post Office, said the stamps "perfectly illustrate the huge variety in uniforms worn by both servicemen and women in the Army".