The collection contains three binders of 198 cards from a variety of First Nations Northwest Coast artists, predominantly Robert Davidson, but also including Bill Reid, Roy Henry Vickers, Arthur Thompson, Joe David, David Seymour, Ron Hamilton, Stan Greene, Freda Diesing, Ken Mowatt, Richard Hunt, and others. The cards were collected by the MacDonalds starting in the 1960s. Many of the cards were intended by the artists for use in local potlatches, weddings, housewarmings, graduations, births, funerals, and other major life events and include inscriptions and/or notes from the artists to the MacDonalds.

Fonds consists of over 4,600 photographic prints, negatives, glass lantern slides, and postcards, the majority of which were either taken or collected by Robinson. Many of the photographs relate to Robinson’s work as an Anglican missionary in Japan in the 1890’s through the 1920’s. These photographs document a unique time in the Japan’s history: the Meiji-Taisho period when the country was transitioning away from being a feudal society and beginning to open up to the West. This collection is one of the few comprehensive records of this time period. Subject matter of the photographs includes everyday life, work, and scenery in Japan, as well as the lives and works of missionaries.

Also included in the collection are photographs from Canada and the Robinson family’s travels around the world, as well as reproductions of missionary and religious texts or graphics.

While many of the photographs were taken by Robinson, others were taken by his children, professional photographers, or unidentified individuals.

The fonds also includes 10 maps of Japan used during Robinson’s missionary work, some with annotations of proposed Canadian jurisdictions in Japan.

The collection contains a variety of artifacts, and includes children's games, items related to the Gold Rush, and various odd items tangentially related to Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives collecting interests.

The collection consists of correspondence, field notes and printed material relating to the Romani people and essays and vocabulary manuscripts about the Romani of Washington State.