Bristol owns a small number of likenesses of the Bristol artist, William Muller, mostly miniatures, sketches and also a plaster bust, but this is the only known photograph of him in the collection, and possibly the world (Muller died when photography was in its infancy). In this print, taken from an early glass daguerreotype, he is seen in Eastern dress, and at first this was thought to show Muller at the time of his 1838-39 trip to Egypt. However, the daguerreotype process was not announced to the world by its inventor, Louis Daguerre, until 7 January, 1839. Therefore, it probably comes from around the time of Muller's 1843-44 trip to Lycia, a remote area of southern Anatolia in present-day Turkey.

On his return from Lycia, Muller is known to have passed through Paris in 1844. Perhaps this image was taken at one of the growing number of daguerreotype studios there, or it may have been taken by a photographer such as Alphonse Claudet who had been making daguerreotypes in London since 1840. The original glass daguerreotype passed to Muller's younger brother, Edmund Gustavus, after the artist's death in 1845 at the age of 33, and copies were taken from it until at least the 1870s. Bristol owns three copies and also the original glass daguerreotype (Mb7082.1) which is now too faded to see much of the image, and can no longer be exposed to light at all.

Muller is seated on a heavy wooden chair with a partially illuminated brick wall to the left. He is wearing a cap typical of the Anatolia region and time - similar caps appear in Muller's drawings of Lycian figures - and he is holding a long pipe to his mouth. There is a dagger or knife tucked into his robe, the handle near to the right side of his chest. A flintlock rifle with banding around the barrel leans against the wall to his left, and there are two globe-shaped objects in his lap, possibly water bottles. His right leg and foot are raised, and poking out of the wide-hemmed robe or trousers there is the suggestion of a curved Turkish shoe. Muller made friends with local tribes people whilst in Lycia, and rode with them in areas where a weapon was essential. He may have been given some or all of the clothing and items shown, or he may have purchased them. What this photograph shows, is that Muller lived amongst his subjects, immersing himself in their ways and blending in, all of which led to a greater empathy and understanding when it came to drawing and painting them.