The Sultan of Zanzibar

The Sultan of Zanzibar and his suite visited Henry Maull of Piccadilly on 19 June 1875; the sitting took place at the express wish of the Sultan, who hoped that if he sat for one ‘face-taker’ then all the others would leave him in peace.

Throughout the Sultan’s visit to London, British newspapers eagerly reported his every excursion and his every utterance. These journalistic accounts were, however, invariably laced with more than a hint of patronising Orientalism and were inevitably accompanied by a metaphorical shaking of the head at the funny ways of these ‘exotic’ foreigners.

Photographed by Henry Maull of London.