The photographs in this collection came from the files of the University of Utah Alumni Association. They have been accumulated over time and cover the period between the early 1900s and the mid 1980s. Before coming to the Marriott Library, the photographs were kept in two different alumni houses, the earlier location on Federal Way and the current Alumni House near the center of campus.

The photographs were acquired in two different manners. They were either taken by professional photographers hired by the Alumni Association for specific events, or they were sent to the Association by individual alumni for use in publications, brochures and records.

The photographs are organized in two sections and contained in six boxes. The largest section (four boxes) is individual portraits, organized in alphabetical order. These were used through the years for alumni news articles and updates in the Utah Alumnus (published from approximately 1925-1967) and the Alumni News/University of Utah Review (published from 1968-1991). They are all identified by name, and, in some cases, the year of graduation and specific information used in the publication.

The remainder of the collection is organized by subject headings, also arranged alphabetically. This section (two boxes) contains various pictures from Alumni Association events, meetings and activities. For example, this section contains folders of class photos, committee and board meetings, athletic receptions and dinners, reunions, Founders' Day, the Alumni House and general University of Utah campus. Most of the people in these photographs are unidentified, thus the subject arrangement was used.

The Alumni Association continues to accumulate photographs, both from organized alumni events and portraits sent in for publication in Continuum magazine (premiere 1991). As a result, this collection will probably never be finalized. Ideally, it will be added to as the need arises.