The series consists of portrait photographs of persons in British Columbia from 1870-1960. Portrait photographs were originally created by a number of photographers, including P.L. Okamura, Hannah Maynard, and S.A. Spencer. Photographs created after 1880 tend to be the products of amateur or street photographers, and as a result, individuals depicted therein are in informal attire. Most of the individuals depicted in the photographs are not identified. The predominant focus of the series is on representations of white settler society—particularly children--though photographs of Indigenous persons and persons of colour are included as well. There are also several photograph of Chinese Canadians in Victoria and Vancouver.

Moogk’s original physical order is preserved in the series. Record types include photographs--particularly tintypes, cartes de visite, and studio cabinet photographs; handwritten notes by Moogk outlining Vancouver photographers operative from 1858-1920; newspaper clippings related to Vancouver photographers; and cards from street photographers.