The archive contains thousands of negatives and photographs taken for publication in Canadian Architect magazine. As announced in the magazine's inaugural issue, Canadian Architect reviewed and documented both public and private structures, including churches, homes, businesses, airports, government offices and public spaces. The subjects of the photographs are generally modern Canadian structures, but images of some International sites and early 20th century Canadian buildings can be found in the collection as well. The collection also contains images of entries to the annual national design awards program sponsored by the magazine, the "Awards of Excellence." The collection also functions as a record of the changing nature of magazine production over the latter part of the 20th century. Canadian Architect was the first business publication in Canada to make engravings on site from original photographs, allowing for a rich selection of both prints and negatives. Instructions by editors and layout artists regarding their eventual printing in the magazine are often written directly on the prints, along with photographer's stamps, credit lines or captions.
