The Hamilton brothers of Northpark, photographed c 1850s by Duncan Brown.
These two gentlemen (probably William and Archibald) were sons of John Hamilton (1754-1829). Hamilton Snr was a successful West Indies and rum and wine merchant nicknamed "Johnny Sma' Bottles". He was a founder member of the Glasgow Golf Club, was elected Lord Provost in 1801, 1805 and 1810 and Great Hamilton Street was named for him. In 1799 he purchased the Northpark Estate and built a country residence near what is now Buckingham Terrace in North Kelvinside. Two of his sons became merchants in Jamaica. His fifth son, William (1790-1866), inherited Northpark and became Lord Provost in 1826.
Duncan Brown (1819-1897) was a talented amateur photographer whose work documents aspects of Glasgow life from the 1850s until the 1890s.
Reference: 91
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow School of Art Archives
Keywords:
country houses, fashions, frock coats, Glasgow Golf Club, Lord Provosts, mansions, Northpark, rum merchants, top hats, West Indies merchants, wine merchants