A collection of photographs measuring 136 x 78 mm (unless otherwise stated), and meticulously captioned on the reverse by Macfie. Prints in a portrait format are denoted by '(pt.)' after the caption.

The collection consists of photographs taken on tours in Northern and Southern Nigeria and the Gold Coast, material from each tour being bound into separate small leather albums (with the exception of tours VI-VIII, bound in one volume). Also included in the volumes are postcards which have been listed but not described in detail. Accompanying the prints are almost all the original negatives, denoted in the catalogue by 'O.N.' followed by the volume and serial number in the negative files in which they are stored. There are in addition 32 original negatives for which no prints exist. These are either near duplicates of other photographs or negatives with technical faults.

A man of wide interests, Macfie made a detailed record of life in Nigeria and the Gold Coast in the early years of the century, photographing pottery making, local life and architecture, scenery and personalities as well as the medical specimens which are of more specialized interest.

Photographs by John William Scott Macfie.