Fonds consists of portraits of the Connon family; the Keith family; residents of Elora and vicinity; local historical sites and figures; views of Elora, Elora Gorge and Fergus, Ontario. Also included are cartes-de-visite by more than 100 Canada West photographers; stereo views from across Canada, especially Guelph, Ont.; portraits of Frederick W. Stone family of Guelph, Ont.; daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, one porcelaintype, glass plates, prints and paper negatives taken with the Connon panoramic view camera; albumen composite, cabinet, postcard and carte-de-visite formats.
The fonds also contains a letter from John Connon possibly to his brother Thomas G. Connon, 18 November 1929, regarding the publication of his book, "Elora", and other matters along with a list of proposed illustrations for the book; also an invoice, ca. 1869.
Connon, John Robert, 1862-1931 : John Robert Connon was born in 1862 at Elora, Ont. and lived there all his life. He was an expert photographer, particularly at outside work. He invented the whole-circle panoramic camera. Connon prepared a history of the early settlement of Elora, including an account of the first settlers in the townships of Woolwich, Pilkington and Nichol. The book was illustrated with Mr. Connon's pictures and published in 1930, as "Elora" and printed by the Elora Express and the Fergus News-Record.
