Father Ignatius (Joseph Leycester Lyne)
- Artist: Samuel Alexander Walker
- Date: 1870
- Medium: albumen carte-de-visite
- Dimensions: 3 5/8 in. x 2 1/4 in. (91 mm x 58 mm) image size
- Portrays: Father Ignatius (Joseph Leycester Lyne)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is an albumen carte‑de‑visite from the 1870s, photographed by Samuel Alexander Walker. The image measures just over three inches by two, so every line of the Benedictine habit and each silvered detail of the crucifix stands out in close view. Father Ignatius – born Joseph Leycester Lyne – is posed with his head slightly turned, eyes fixed beyond the frame, as if he were looking into the soul of the viewer. His robe is plain but dignified by the deep cut of the collar and the subtle shadow that Walker’s light creates on the folds. Walker captured this moment when Leycester had already taken the name Father Ignatius in 1862, a choice that preceded his book on reviving monasticism and the ensuing Victorian debate about his ministry. The photograph preserves both his devotion and the quiet intensity of his presence.
See it in person
Father Ignatius (Joseph Leycester Lyne) is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
