Unknown Bird Coming out of Ground Nest, Undated

The collection consists of photographs collected by Dr. Sidney Peerless. The collection covers a wide array of photographers and subject matter, from everyday scenes and portraits, to nature, and exotic photographs, and post WWII aircraft.

Series I, Nancy Ford Cones, contains photographs from 1898 through the 1930s, with the bulk of the photos taken in the period 1900-1920. The series contains 130 photographs all in individual folders. The subjects of the photographs are a mix between nostalgic scenes of an older America and portraits of family and neighbors. Some of the photographs even depict characters of fairy tales and mythology. One of Nancy Ford Cones' favorite subjects to photograph was her daughter, and many of the photographs contain Margaret Cones as the model. The photographs are gum, silver and platinum prints and there are a few prints on tissue paper. The photographs are a variety of sizes and tones.

Series II, Cecil Carey, contains portrait photographs from the early twentieth-century. Most of the pictures lack dates and titles. There are 43 photographs in the series and there are also two photographs of Cecil Carey. All the photographs are in individual folders. One is of a young Cecil Carey taken in 1907 while the other was taken in the 1930s. The photographs range in size, and this is the only known collection of his work available. There are also Cecil Carey oversized photographs in box 6.

Series III, Richard Tepe, contains photographs that are nature and/or botanically related in subject. Tepe was a Dutch photographer, and his work in the collection comes mainly from the 1930s. Some of the photographs are identified on the back in both Dutch and German, others in either Dutch or German. There are 150 estate prints in a variety of sizes, all in individual folders. The photographs present a wide variety of nature subjects but most of the animals depicted are birds and small woodland creatures, while botanical photographs contain a variety of flowers.

Series IV, Fritz Henle, contains photographic prints from his book, The Caribbean. There are 156 photographic prints in the series, and many of them are the ones chosen for the book. There are also prints that were not included in the book. The prints reflect Henle's interest in the Caribbean culture and society and show many scenes of everyday life and tradition, along with architecture and landscape. Each series of prints also contains a page with biographical information on Fritz Henle. The last folder in the series contains the book, The Caribbean.

Series V, U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft contains 96 photographs, arranged according to manufacturer of post-WWII American aircraft. There is one oversized photograph in box 6.