The collection contains approximately 15,000 negatives and prints along with individual periodicals, personal notes, technical photographic books, manuscripts, and photographic equipment. Will Connell (son of the photographer) donated the body of work to the UCR/California Museum of Photography in 1990. The collection is organized within box lot numbers, which in turn are organized by job name. Will Connell, a commercial photographer, arranged his negatives according to the name of the commissioner of the work; the museum has maintained the original order. The dates of the images range from 1926 through 1952, although the majority of negatives originated during the 1930s and 1940s. Connell photographed virtually every industry in California at the time. He also completed a number of literary projects and artistic endeavors.