The Photographs series consists of prints and contact sheets of images of Princeton University. The majority of these photographs were taken by official university photographers working under the auspices of the Office of Communications, and many of them appeared in publications such as the Princeton Alumni Weekly, the Princeton Weekly Bulletin, or on the University's web page. The images in the collection capture a wide variety of subjects including students, faculty, staff, athletics, grounds and buildings, and special events. Many of the photographs were taken to supplement press releases, bulletins, web pages, and official University publications. The majority of the photographs are in color.

Each photograph or set of photographs in the collection is contained in a folder and identified by a title. In most cases the title refers to the subject of the photographs themselves, however in some instances the title may simply be the date upon which the photographs were taken, or the name of the photographer (if not Matthews or Applewhite). Efforts have been made to clarify the use of shorthand and acronyms for proper names and organizational titles whenever possible.

The use of dates on the photographs and folders is also inconsistent, and in cases where no viable estimate of the time at which the photograph was taken could be made from the information at hand, the item has simply been listed as undated.

Please see subseries descriptions in the contents list for additional information.