This stereograph collection is comprised of 513 stereographs that date from approximately 1846-1940. There are stereoviews from 24 different publishers and photographers, made up of donations from a many different donors, many unknown. Additionally, there are 21 images with no identifying information at the end of the finding aid. Stereograph publishers often bought other photographers’ negatives, and there was much sharing and republishing of the work of certain photographers, sometimes making it difficult to identify the original creator.

The collection is comprised of smaller, Bay Area-based photographers like M.M. Hazeltine and O.V. Lange, as well as larger, more established East coast-based stereograph publishers like Keystone View Company and Underwood and Underwood. Thus, the views represented vary widely and include views as far ranging as Alaska, Panama, and Seoul, Korea. The predominance of Bay Area and West coast photographers in the collection means that the majority of images are of California and related subjects such as Yosemite and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and its aftermath. There are numerous views of San Francisco and its notable features, including the Cliff House, the Baldwin Hotel, Woodward’s Gardens, and Golden Gate Park. There are also views of other California cities, such as Sonora, Eureka, and Mendocino, and views that document the growth of railroads and of industries such as mining and lumbering. There is a series of views by M. Rieder documenting Southern California locations such as Long Beach, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Catalina Island. Additionally, there are some whimsical, difficult-to-categorize stereographs of President and Mrs. McKinley, a “skeleton leaves” arrangement, and a playful series depicting a wedding.