The photographs were printed at different times from wet collodion glass plate negatives and show a variety of poses, retouchings, and mounts, including mats prepared for exhibit in the U.S. Centennial International Exhibition of 1876. Each mount generally has a short summary of the case on the back. There is an item-level database as well as an original card file index to the collection. See also Woodward Photographs. Partial finding aid, part arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
Images show cancer, blood, insects, plants, and fungi.
Other photographs in this series are pictures of the Museum and Washington area notables, probably taken by William Bell. Included are Civil War generals Ulysses S. Grant, Daniel Sickles, Philip Sheridan, Joseph Barnes. Original index card finding aids for the portraits exist. Some negatives for the Surgical Photographs are included in the collection.