The collection consists of three large albums of prints taken by Ralph Dawson. Subjects primarily include landscapes and flora and fauna found during he travels throughout the Southwest, California and Florida, but also the insects he studied, animals, birds, woodland scenes, swamps, and portraits of colleagues. In addition to the mounted, bound prints, there was also a significant number of negatives, most in poor condition. It was found that many of the negatives were cellulose nitrate, and those were safely disposed of. Any safety negatives or glass plates were saved and rehoused in archival sleeves. Slides showing Navajo weaving and cassettes of Dawson explaining the photo albums are also included, as well as a typed transcript of Dawson's explanations of the images, offering descriptions and thoughts for each of the books of prints.