Portrait of Dr. David Burbank; Wedding portrait of Dr. David Burbank; and Wedding portrait of Clara Kauffer.

Dr. David Burbank (1821-1895), having studied dentistry in Waterville, Maine, moved to San Francisco in 1853 to seek his fortune in California. After making a considerable amount of money in his profession and in the gold fields, he and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1866. During 1867, Dr. Burbank purchased La Providencia Rancho and a section of the San Rafael Rancho, totaling approximately 9,200 acres for a total price of $9,000. In the years that followed, he not only ran a successful sheep ranch, but became a very important entrepreneur in the area. In 1887, Dr. Burbank sold his property to the Providencia Land, Water and Development Company, of which he was one of the directors. The final selling price was $250,000, furthering Dr. Burbanks' influence. In keeping with the population boom in California during this period, the company began the commercialization and residential development of what soon became known as Burbank.

The dagurreotype shows Dr. Burbank soon after his arrival in California wearing his gold mining clothes. The ambrotypes, taken a few years later, show Dr. Burbank and his wife Clara Kauffer in their wedding clothes. Their painted wedding portraits, possibly based on these ambrotypes, are currently in the collection of the Burbank Historical Society.