Russian Orthodox monk

A Russian Orthodox monk or priest, photographed by William Carrick of St Petersburg.

William Carrick (1827-1878) was born in Edinburgh of Scottish parents. A few months later he was taken to Russia, which was to be his home for the rest of his life. (His father was a timber merchant with a business in Cronstadt, the port for St. Petersburg). He studied art and in 1859, opened a studio in St. Petersburg. During the 1860’s he produced a remarkable series of cartes-de-visite showing various Russian types, mainly peasants and working-class townspeople. Some of his subjects are staged performing an activity, such as drinking tea or gaming, and some are photographed in the performance of their occupation. Many are photographed with great sensitivity, with a naturalness far ahead of its time.