Robinson started out as a painter, but was introduced to photography in 1850 and decided to become a professional portrait photographer a few years later. Vignetting prints was his novelty. Here are some interesting examples of his portraiture using this technique:
Fading Away (1858) is one of his most famous compositions.
Fading Away - Source: http://www.geh.org/taschen/htmlsrc6/m197601160001_ful.html
Fading Away is a composition of five negatives, in which he depicts a girl dying of consumption (tuberculosis), and the despair of the other members of the family. This was a controversial photograph, and some felt that the subject was not suitable for photography. One critic said that Robinson had cashed in on "the most painful sentiments which it is the lot of human beings to experience." It would seem that it was perfectly in order for painters to paint pictures on such themes, but not for photographers to do so.
However, the picture captured the imagination of Prince Albert, who bought a copy and issued an order for every composite portrait Robinson produced subsequently. Fading Away is a composition of five negatives. If one examines a large copy of a print closely one can see the "joins", particularly the triangle of grey with no detail in it. One has to remember, of course, that these were contact prints - there were no means of enlarging at that time. (http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/robinson.htm)
Another famous Robinson picture is When the Day’s Work is Done, an albumen print from six negatives. 
When the Day’s Work is Done
http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=39351&handle=li
I like Robinson’s aesthetic because he approached photography like an artist might approach a painting, choosing simple objects or scenes, then capturing them in a way that turned ordinary subjects into artistic works.
Thoughtful post - nice work.
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