Bishop of Chichester

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This little carte de visite caught my eye because of the unusual garments, the introspective pose, and that imposing face. Somebody wrote “Bp Chichester” on the back, which made it easy enough to do a search and figure out that this was The Right Reverend Richard Durnford, who served as the Bishop of Chichester from 1870 to 1895, when he died at age 92. (See info here.) The photographer, Samuel A. Walker of London, promotes himself as “Fine Art Photographer To The Queen, Bishops & Clergy”, though noting that he also photographs “Ladies, Children, and Laymen”. Imagine what it must have taken to build a clientele like that. [click below to view the back]