The Photographic Material series contains a large number of prints and negatives in both black and white and colour, as well as, a small amount of colour slides. These images document the structural development of the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Building as well as, presenting images of their original facilities on campus. Also finding photographic representation in this series are various student exhibits, events and research projects; departmental projects; faculty, staff and student composites and portraits; technological installations; student awards and competitions; social and intercollegiate events; class notes and visual aids; and press shots. As well, the photographic material presents different perspectives of student involvement both within the Department itself, and as part of the University as a whole. Finally, the images, along with the few accompanying pen and ink layout sketches, depict the process of photography itself within the Department.
The majority of photographs were found in a chronologically and numerically organized state located either within the envelopes of their corresponding negatives or else in sticky back photo albums. Those not housed in such a way were found loosely contained among the textual material within metal filing cabinets or cardboard boxes. The first 644 sets of photographic prints were found to have numerical identifiers (written in ink or pencil and located either on the print itself, the original envelope in which it was found or beneath or above its placement within sticky back albums). These numerical identifiers correspond directly to available negatives. The slides were found labeled in a topically organized state within plastic sleeves housed within ring binders.
Original numerical identifiers of both photographs and negatives span sequentially from #41 to #730.