The E.R. Fenimore Johnson photographs, 1929-1970, is a rich collection of images ranging from underwater photography; equipment and tests; natural history; yachting; and exploration. This collection consists of subject files, test photographs, motion picture films, index card guides to the motion pictures, index card guides to the use of the images, photograph albums of an expedition to Matto Grosso in Brazil, lantern slides, and negatives.

The first series "Subject files (prints stapled to cards with identifying information)," is the most important of the series as it serves, largely, as a guide for the remainder of the collection. The cards were organized by subject, with a letter/number code, by E.R. Fenimore Johnson. Each card contains an image stapled to it and identification, which usually includes date, location, description and negative number. A researcher would be well served to use this series before looking further into the collection. Johnson's order, which is referenced extensively throughout the collection, has been retained in its entirety. His subjects include underwater photographs, photo equipment, miscellaneous products, field operations, tests and set-ups, Elsie Fenimore, people, places, boats, birds, animals, fish--surface, reptiles, crustaceans, skies, and miscellaneous. Included in miscellaneous are Johnson's family photographs and images of products of his father's Victor Talking Machine Company.

"Tests (stereo photographs)" includes cards with two comparative images stapled to them. Tests include: suspended type camera tests, suspended type camera plus turbidity eliminator tests, C-121, C-129, I-9, IEION, MD-3 and MD-4. It is unclear from the photographs exactly what the photographs are testing, but almost all provide information, which usually includes: roll number, location, date, time, water depth, bottom conditions, object, object distance, focus distance, film, aperture, shutter, filter, illumination, increased light, underwater exposure, hydrophotometer, the sun's altitude, camera depth, peraquameter, tide, and sea. The bulk of these photographs date from 1951 to 1952. After the suspended type camera tests and the suspended type camera plus turbidity eliminator tests, the remainder of the tests have been arranged in alphabetical order.

"Motion picture films" include two films: "'Undersea Gardens,' 35mm motion picture film by E.R. Fenimore Johnson" and Panama Cruise 1939, Guatamala (sic) 1940, Yacht Elsie Fenimore, ER Feminore Johnson, Owner & Master. "Undersea Gardens" has recently been reformatted as the original is on nitrate film.

The "Index cards to motion picture films" serve as a guide to the motion pictures. It is unclear if the index cards refer to more films than are held by the Academy of Natural Sciences. In his meticulous way, Johnson's index cards provide access to the motion pictures via a variety of paths. The index cards are organized (by Johnson) by topic, reel time, and rolls. If a researcher is interested in using the motion picture films, they should first consult the index cards.

"Index cards to use of images" provides information on how Johnson's images were used by him, his company, and others. In some cases, these cards provide exact information on the use; such as film, lecture, etc. More often than not, the cards simply indicate that an image was used.

The "Photo albums of Expedition to Matto Grosso, Brazil" have been dismantled, with the contents of each album comprising a folder. Each photograph includes a caption by Johnson which provides, to a degree, a narrative of his experiences. These captions are loosely housed adjacent to their corresponding images, and researchers must take caution to preserve this context when accessing the images. The albums were organized, again by Johnson, in the following groups: animals; birds; fish; people and places; rivers; insects; hunting; plants and trees; General Candido Rondon and other people; Xingu--Vencenzo Petrullo; Xingu--E.R. Fenimore Johnson; and Bororo Reservation. There are also three folders of photographs that were apparently not placed in albums and cross all the above topics. It should be noted that some of these categories are not all-inclusive. Researchers interested in Johnson's expedition to Matto Grosso should consult the photographs in this series.

Johnson's "Lantern slides" are an incredible resource for researchers. The first category in this series is "E.R. Fenimore Johnson's 58 Images" and may be the images he thought best indicated his work. These images are numbered and identified by Johnson in his own hand. This arrangement of the slides, which include topics such as equipment, divers, and fish, has been maintained. Other categories include subject files and Johnson's expedition to Andros Island.

The "Negative register and negatives" series contains approximately 4000 negatives and prints numbered according to Johnson's numbering system. The negatives have been placed into acid-free sleeves, with their original sleeves retained alongside them except when the original sleeve contained no information beyond the number. The contents of each original sleeve can be found in the new sleeve, with negatives, prints, and sometimes glass slides housed together. Several sleeves were found empty, and have been retained as is. The negatives are arranged in numerical order, with glass slides and glass plate negatives housed separately in housing appropriate to their various sizes. Thus boxes 17-34 contain the main run of negatives, box 35 contains sleeves which contain glass slides along with their corresponding negatives and prints, and boxes 36-39 contain glass plate negatives of three different sizes housed aaccording to their size. The materials in this series depict underwater scenes, equipment, boats, people, wet suits, and landscapes. There are also several depictions of Central and South American landscapes, buildings (including Chitzen Itza), and tribal peoples.

Researchers interested in E.R. Fenimore Johnson, the development of underwater photography, marine life, expeditions, the Matto Grosso in Brazil, and Andros Island will find this collection to be a rich visual resource.