Who is this person & when was it taken

[Gadget]

I saw that ring too, it looks to me to be on his 4th finger as I thought I could just see his third finger, using the knuckles as a guide.
So I am assuming the ring is some sort of signet ring

Looking at it enlarged, the thumb is hiding the first finger, so it 's on the fourth finger.

[Patricia Houghton]

So if we are agreed that it is on the 4th finger, could it just be the wedding ring for his future wife that he has placed there for safekeeping before the marriage  ?

[Gadget]

I'm not sure about that. It certainly looks a dainty ring.

Did you see the photo of the whole back in my link to the family history of the Hinchcliffes?

[Patricia Houghton]

Yes, it is lovely and much clearer than mine. Someone had stuck paper all over the back with some awful glue to keep the 2 parts of the picture together and it had lost quite a bit of the imagery from the back image because of it.
The front of the picture was also equally in 2 parts but my husband had managed to do a "clean stitching" process using photo editing across his middle well above the pocket watch chain and well below the tie where the crack was, to make it a complete picture for me to upload

[Milliepede]

I thought the tie looked Scottish pattern wise. 

[Jool]

The framed picture on the chair next to him must have some significance, it looks like a ship with sails to me.

ADDED: Looking at it again it could be the inside of a hat 

[Gillg]

This struck me as being a far from typical photo from the late 1800s, when portraits were very solemn affairs.  The man is very confident and has adopted a nonchalant pose, with one hand in his pocket.  That certainly looks like a wedding ring, though I don't believe wedding rings were normally worn by men at that time, and what about the gloves that he is holding?  Could the object earlier referred to as a picture actually be a hat with the inside lining showing?  This does suggest some formal occasion.

[g eli]

Besides the gloves, is he holding something like a pointer in his hand which could be connected to his profession?

[Patricia Houghton]

I had not seen the pointer in his hand - well spotted.

Could it possibly be a little paintbrush, it looks to be about 7 or 8 inches long