Portrait of the Rev. Mr. Tobias Langdon, Priest Vicar of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Exon

A black and white mezzotint of a young white male dressed in black clerical vestments with a white collar. He wears a dark shoulder-length wig and looks out to the left, holding a scroll pointed in the same direction. The background is plain and an inscription below reads, ‘The Rev. M: Tobias Langdon Priest Vicar of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Exon [meaning Exeter] a Celebrated Master of Musick. Done from a Drawing in Ciaro Obscura of Mr. Nath Tucker by Faber.’

A head and shoulders mezzotint of Reverend Tobias Langdon (d.1712), who served as Vicar Choral at Exeter Cathedral. A monument on the South transept floor of the Cathedral lists him as ‘Master of Musick [sic], priest vicar, subchanter, Prebendary of Bodmin.’ He also features as a character in the children’s book Tiggs and the Midnight Choir, by Julie Clare-Carney and illustrated by James Mason-Carney, inspired by historical choristers at the Cathedral. Records of Langdon’s musical career during his time at Exeter appear throughout the Cathedral’s archives (see various Chapter Acts) such as, ‘Tobias Langdon to be paied £20 a year for teaching choristers’ and ‘Tobias Langdon reimbursed 28s ‘for a great booke [sic]…for the pricking and registering therein the choice and select services and anthems of the Church for the preserving them for the use of the Church.’

Langdon’s son, also a talented musician, later became organist and sub-chanter of Exeter Cathedral, but in 1777 resigned his position to become organist at Bristol Cathedral and was succeeded by William Jackson.

Engraved by John Faber II (1684-1756). Faber learnt drawing and mezzotint engraving from his father. After attending the academy in St. Martin’s Lane, he become the leading mezzotint engraver of his day. This same print is featured in A History of English Cathedral Music 1549-1889 by John S. Bumpus, 1908, placing Langdon within a wider historical musical context.
Another portrait of Langdon was painted by William Gandy and kept in College Hall, one of Exeter’s architectural gems which attracted many visitors before it was destroyed by a direct hit in 1942. References to this portrait can be found in Black’s Guide to Devonshire, by Adam and Charles Black, 1864 (see DEI AD 02 BLA) and Murray’s Handbook for Travellers in Devon and Cornwall, 1895 (see DEI AD 02 MUR).

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