The collection consists of photographs taken between 1882 and 1953 of various exterior locations primarily in Orange County, California, including Santa Ana, Tustin, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Garden Grove, Orange, San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Hot Springs, and Irvine. There are also photographs of Catalina Island and Riverside. More than half of the photographs date to the period prior to 1900. The collection includes in most cases the glass plate or film negatives used to create the prints.