A majority of collection contains maps produced in the late 1600s to the late 1800s. The subject matter of the maps is largely focused on South America; however, there a number of maps from Africa and a few on the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. The maps, as well, are predominantly English and French, with Dutch and German second, and Spanish last. Their languages reflect the countries of production, with the exception of a select few from the United States and a few French maps reproduced for German audiences.

With the maps are numerous instructional printouts detailing types of maps, likewise how to handle and preserve them. There are also several newspaper articles portraying places and cultures on the western and southern coasts of South America. There are multiple screen prints portraying features and cultures of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Lastly, many of the maps were accompanied by receipts. The receipts are either paired with a map or placed into a separate receipt folder.

While the iterative nature of the maps may not provide entirely novel data, there are variations and regional descriptions that provide significant variation based on language and nationality of the map producer. Some of the prominent mapmakers of their time, such as Jacques-Nicolas Bellin and Rigobert Bonne, appear regularly. Comparisons between maps with same subject but produced by different nations could be quite yielding for the researcher. The scope and scale of the maps will also provide researchers focused on a particular region access to material they would not be able to find so readily elsewhere. The range of engraving types, coloring, and prints reflect new methods and technologies of mapmaking and cartography that were trending within their particular era.

Manuscripts, magazine articles, prints, postcards, and select chapters provide great detailed descriptions of the author’s experience traveling and exploring remote regions and cultures of South America.