Dayton Defense Housing, Undated

The James N. Keen collection consists of black and white negatives and photographs ranging from 1939 to 1945. It is arranged into eleven series. The bulk of the collection consists of images of Dayton, OH and the surrounding region. They include pictures of local businesses, schools, and the military. These photographs were most likely taken to accompany newspaper stories.

Series I, Business, consists of images of specific businesses, such as Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco), National Cash Register (NCR) and Rike's Department Store, workers' strikes, and more genetic images of people in various occupations and industries. Images include local companies being awarded the Army-Navy "E" Award for excellence in production of war equipment.

Series II, Community Organizations, includes images of the Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA/YWCA, Community Chest (now known locally as the United Way), and the Red Cross. These are images of events that these organizations held and people who worked for and may have been helped by these charitable organizations.

Series III, Schools, is comprised of images of high schools, such as Fairview and Stivers, colleges, including the University of Dayton and the Ohio State University, as well as specialized education for the deaf and blind. The images include sports, graduations, and campus life. The bulk of the series are images from Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio that merged with Miami University in 1974. Series IV, Sports and Outdoor Activities, consists of non-collegiate sports, including the Dayton PGA tournament, and other activities such as hunting and fishing.

Series V, People, consists of photographs of individuals, families and children. This series includes several images of Charles Kettering.

Series VI, Military, is comprised of images of soldiers and aircraft. The bulk of this series is made up of pictures of Wright Field and Patterson Field, prior to their merger. It includes images of soldiers on base, events for the troops and soldiers' wives.

Series VII, News, consists of Dayton Journal-Herald images, as well as photographs that were most likely shot to accompany lifestyle stories, such as weddings and deaths, accidents and disasters, and entertainment news. Series VIII, Cities, includes images of Dayton, Ohio and nearby cities and towns, including New Carlisle and West Carrolton.

Series IX, Animals and Nature, is comprised of photographs of primarily domesticated animals, such as dogs and rabbits, and natural features, such as clouds, snow, and foliage. Series X, Other Images, consists of miscellaneous images from Florida and some unidentified photographs of people, gatherings and items.

Series XI, Photographs, is comprised of numerous black and white photographs, including photographs of Wright and Patterson Fields, rallies in support of the United States military, worker strikes, and other various images of science and industry.