Photographs is divided into: Albums/Scrapbooks, 1900-1925; Public Relations reference file, 1898-2002; Public Relations reference file, 1976-2005; and Miscellaneous and general. The series comprises about two linear feet of materials and is a rich source of visual images of Detroit, the activities at the various branches of the YMCA, and the YMCA summer camps.
Albums/Scrapbooks, 1900-1925, contains twelve scrapbooks of photographs. These scrapbooks are identified and arranged in rough chronological order. Of special note are: the City Industrial scrapbook which shows outreach efforts made to industrial workers and English language courses; the International Convention of 1919 which provides detailed documentation of this conference hosted by the Detroit YMCA; and the Camps scrapbooks that reveal the day-to-day activities of the Detroit YMCA's summer camps during their early years.
(includes photos of laborers, English language classes for Maltese-Americans)
In the Public Relations reference file, 1898-1966, photographs remain in the alphabetical arrangement devised by the public relations department, a scheme based on types of activity, program names, general descriptions such as "leaders" and "buildings," and quite specific celebrations. The photographs in this subseries were evidently used by the public relations department in the course of preparing brochures and publications.