I wish I could tell you who this gentleman was, but I haven’t the faintest idea. He looks like an intellectual, rather than a businessman or public figure, because of his plain attire and slightly disheveled hair. For some reason I want him to be involved with writing or publishing, maybe a newspaper editor or printer. A teacher or school principal would also be acceptable.
The cabinet card was made by pioneering Scottish photographer John Stuart (1831-1907). Stuart operated a studio in Glasgow from 1859 until 1901, a remarkably long career in a competitive and fast-changing business. He had a second studio in Helensburgh, 25 miles northwest of Glasgow, where he was also active in local government.
Tokens of Companionship 
I can tell you without a moment of hesitation that he is a novelist. Just kidding. But I agree that he does look as if he comes from the world of books. (Maybe a publisher would be a little more prosperous and less disheveled?) I think I instantly “read” him as a novelist because he reminds me of a picture I have seen of Thackeray. He does seem genial. Do you think his hair and beard might have been red?
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I hadn’t thought of his hair being red, but it might have been. There’s definitely some white or grey in his beard. I looked up Thackeray and yes, I can understand why you thought of him.
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I think he was a bookkeeper or a clerk.
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So down to earth! 😉
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Or perhaps an absent-minded professor?
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He certainly could be!
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I agree. He seems literary and I like the gentleness about him.
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I like that, too. I can’t help but wonder, though, if we’re just seeing what we want to see.
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He looks very much like a psychology professor I once worked with.
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Was he genial and absent-minded?
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He was genial, yes. He was absent-minded about administrative matters but not at all absent-minded about academic matters.
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I must tell you that I can’t tell you anything by just looking at the picture, but my imagination ran along similar lines. I think he could still be a shopkeeper or something like that by profession, but one who spends his spare time reading about ‘antiquities’ and going to meetings of the local philosophical society. (‘Philosophical meant here in its 18th/19th century sense, i.e. about science.) Perhaps he’s a clergyman – that would fit nicely, wouldn’t it? In those days, many churchmen were dedicated to the study of history and nature.
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Oh, I like it! You’re rooting him in the real world but giving him a thirst for knowledge. Excellent! Natural history would be a very good fit, I think.
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I imagine that this gentleman with surprisingly kind eyes worked at the local Museum. His work included history, literature, and accounting. His hair is a flag of red tape)
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I hadn’t considered a museum post, but why not? A splendid theory! Museum work requires practical skills and involves scientific and educational components.
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He looks like he’d have hundreds of great stories.
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Agreed!
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Very genial-looking gent. I can’t guess at his occupation (retired, I’d say, from whatever it was) but he looks to me like he might have a cold!
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Oh no, poor fellow! 😉
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