Cossack soldiers 1854

Photograph of a group of Cossack soldiers. Six soldiers are standing, three are mounted on horses and one is sitting on the ground. Two of the soldiers who are standing are holding long poles. All are wearing military uniform and hats. There is an ornate border on the mount surrounding the photograph and the image has been altered with ink in some areas. Szathmari was one of the first war photographers, and the first to photograph the Crimean War. In the spring of 1854 he travelled to the area around the Danube and photographed the soldiers engaged in the first skirmishes of the war, including the Cossacks who had been heavily involved in Russian expansionism. He exhibited the resulting photographs at the Paris World Exposition of 1855 and presented copies to Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon III.