Shamil was the leader of a military-theocratic state in the Caucasus which opposed Russian expansion into the region. During a 25-year conflict his popularity grew in the West, earning him the nickname ‘Lion of Dagestan’. After his honourable surrender in 1859, Shamil was welcomed by the Emperor, praised by intellectuals and photographed by Denier, one of Russia’s leading photographers.

Presented to Queen Victoria by the photographer