The collection consists of 176 albumen mammoth prints (including 2 panoramas – one of San Francisco and one of Yosemite), 137 photographic prints (including 6 cyanotypes), 4 photograph albums, 409 complete stereographs, 10 partial stereographs, and 67 glass stereographs. The collection also includes 101 boudoir cards, 74 cabinet cards, and 33 cartes de visite. The bulk of photographs taken depict the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove, and were taken at various points between 1861 and 1881. The collection includes photographs of various mining operations, including Las Mariposas Mining Estate, as well as the New Idria and New Almaden mines. There are also photographs documenting railway building and industry, including images of the Southern Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads, and of the Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company. Watkins travelled extensively around the West, documenting Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, as well as various California counties across the state. He also photographed plants and flowers native to California and the Southwest, as well as natural features such as Mount Shasta and the geysers in Sonoma County. There are numerous photos of California missions from throughout the state. There are photographs of the homes of prominent Californians, such as the Thurlow Lodge album (Governor of California Milton Latham’s home), and photographs of the homes of bankers Darius O. Mills and William C. Ralston, among others. The collection also includes images of the Sierra Madre Villa in Pasadena and the Hotel Del Monte in Monterey. The cabinet cards and cartes de visite feature portraits of artists, writers, and professors such as Louis Agassiz, Galen Clark, Albert Bierstadt, and William Cullen Bryant. There are also portraits of Japanese businessmen Tomomi Iwakura and Kaikichi M. Hirose. There are photographs of architectural plans, artwork held by local museums, and an album photos of drawings by Virgil Williams. There is a great depth and breadth of images of San Francisco, Watkins’s home for much of his life. These include images of Alcatraz Island and the Farallon Islands, as well as views of the city taken from various vantage points. There are photographs of major intersections and important buildings, like the Palace Hotel and the Bank of California. There are also photographs of local industry, such as the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and the San Francisco Woolen Factory, as well as of photos of attractions like Woodward’s Gardens. The collection also includes two photographs of Carleton Watkins taken by other photographers.