Isaiah West Taber was an American daguerreotypist, ambrotypist, and photographer who took many pictures of noted Californians, which he donated to the California State Library". He was also a sketch artist and dentist. His studio also produced a series of stereoscopic views of west coast scenery.
Between 1845 and 1849 he worked at sea on a whaler. He returned East in 1854 and opened his first photography studio in Syracuse, New York. In 1864, he returned to California and opened his own studio.
(source: wikipedia)