The collection comprises twenty-three boxes of photographs and thirty boxes plus one file of negatives.

The majority of photographs are of Heads of Government, meetings and other conferences held in the U.K; conferences leading to constitutional progress and, in most cases, independence, of individual countries; visitors from overseas including those training in the U.K; and organisations, exhibitions etc., in the U.K. relating to the Commonwealth. Most were taken by COI photographers, though some were obtained from commercial agencies.

The photographs are arranged by subject. The negatives are not listed here, but are numbered correspondingly and housed separately.