HISTORIX Vintage 1952 Bishop Fulton J Sheen Photo Print - Vintage Portrait Photo of Catholic Church Archbishop Fulton Sheen Wall Art Poster

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was one of the most recognizable members of the Catholic Church during the twentieth century and was particularly popular for his radio and television broadcasts, including the night-time radio program The Catholic Hour on NBC from 1930-1950 before switching to television with his program Life is Worth Living starting in 1952. Sheen won two Emmys for his work, and his work is often considered to be the first example of televangelism, which would go on to become one of the most popular forms of televised preaching. 

Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois, and was exposed to the Church by his parents, who were of Irish descent and practiced Catholicism. In 1924, Sheen traveled to Italy to continue his studies after completing two doctoral degrees in the United States, earning a Sacred Theology Doctorate at the Pontificium Collegium Internationale Angelicum. Sheen was offered positions at Oxford and Columbia University to teach Philosophy but instead accepted a role taking leadership of the St. Patrick's Parish in Peoria near his hometown. One of Sheen's most prominent beliefs was that Catholics should "integrate" their faith into the rest of their daily life. Sheen became highly influential among Catholic Americans and became a consecrated Bishop in 1951.

This iconic photograph shows Father Sheen before the height of his television success and remains an enduring image of his considerable legacy. The distinctive aesthetic and rarified style immediately transport the viewer back in time and create an indelible link between the past and present.