The series consists of photographs, postcards, and prints documenting the life, work, and families of William Lawson Grant and Maude Grant (nee Parkin). In addition to photographic portraits of William and Maude Grant, there are portraits of their family and friends including his father George Monro Grant and other members of the Parkin, Grant, Lawson, Massey, and Baldwin families. The series also holds portraits of notable figures like Sir John A. Macdonald, Queen Victoria, Princess of Wales, Princess Mary, Princess Helena, Princess Alice, Georgie Archibald, Sir Alexander Milne and crew of the Niles, Prince Louis, Princes Arthur and Leopold, and Lord Stanhope. Some of the other photographs depict academic associates at Upper Canada College and other places in Canada and England; George Smith; gold digging at Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia; Charlie trooping the Colours; Halilfax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; the residence of Brooke Claxton in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa; and a cabinet photograph of a Maori woman and baby.
The photographic and photomechanical postcards depict the Royal family ca. 1920s and 1953; Platoon 11, 2nd Universal Company, Canadian Expeditionary Force (London, 1915); 3rd Canadian Division Signal Corps (group picture of soccer team, 1917); Vincent Massey; and the Beaver Club library and reading room, London England; views of Canadian scenic destinations in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia; Canadian Pacific passenger ships; a habitant woman carding wool; the Dionne Quintuplets; and Dr. Dafoe (1930s).
The prints include portraits of historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Cromwell, Danton, Erasmus von Rotterdam, Robespierre, Martin Luther, Jean-Paul Marat, Mirabeau, Petrarque, among other famous persons. In addition, there is a German War Poster picked up in the German front trenches in July 1918 by Canadian troops; it is signed S. or J. MacInnsely.
Some of the photographers include NEA Inc.; Bassano; Raphael Tuck & Sons; Photochrom Co. Ltd.; Colour Picture of Canada; A. Louis Jarche of London, England; J. C. Walker; Sunderwood's Studios; Airmaps Ltd.; Terryberry and Halliday Foto; H. R. Niebel; Byron Harmon; S. Belle; Foy Bros. of Thames, New Zealand; S. J. Hayward of Montreal; Sheldon & Davis; Elliott and Fry; and H. E. Simpson.
