Bishop

Catalogue Reference:(CMHS) 518:4

A very early photograph showing the elderly Roman Catholic Bishop of Southwark in south London in 1840 sitting in a carved wooden chair. A bishop has responsibility for a diocese, an administrative area made up of a number of parishes. The diocese of Southwark included the dockland area of Bermondsey on the south bank of the Thames where many Irish migrants found work. Early photography required long exposure periods so the subject had to sit very still as any movement would blur the picture.