"Photographs of Antarctica, Presented to G. M. Schwartz for the Department of Geology, University of Minnesota, Through the Courtesy of Professor Lawrence [Laurence] Gould, Second In Command of the Expedition" includes black and white photographic prints glued to album pages. The images depict ice and geological features of the Ross Ice Shelf, Liv Glacier, and the Bay of Whales in Antarctica, and were taken by Laurence M. Gould during the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928-1930). Most of the images were taken from a plane, and include captions that identify the location the photograph was taken, as well as images that were used by Gould in publications about the expedition, particularly in "The Ross Shelf Ice" article published in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America in 1935. The album was compiled circa 1935-1961.

The pages were originally held in a three-ring photograph album in numerical order, as indicated by the creator's handwritten numbers in the corners; the pages were removed from the album and placed in a folder for preservation purposes. There are no pages 8-9, and the last three pages of the album are not numbered; the final page of the album has an "x" written in place of a number.

The Norman Vaughan Papers, dated 1917-2001, contain newspaper clippings, correspondence, photographs, audio recordings of an oral history interview, and a pair of fur gloves, most of which relate to Norman Vaughan's experience as a dog-sled driver during the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition. Some materials, including the oral history interview, relate to Vaughan’s other experiences as a dog-sled driver and his life after the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition. Also included are newspaper clippings that Vaughan collected about the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition, in which he was not involved. The oral history interview is from a series of polar oral histories sponsored by the American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program. Notes and correspondence related to the interview are included in addition to the audio recording.

The George M. Troutman Papers, dated circa 1928-1935, contain materials created or collected by George M. Troutman that mostly relate to the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition and document Troutman's connection with some of the expedition's members. In particular, the papers document his relationship with Sidney Greason. Materials include correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings. Also included are covers, which are self-addressed, stamped envelopes that have been sent through the mail, that Troutman collected during the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition.

Francis Dana Coman and John "Jack" Coman Family Papers, dated 1885-circa 1953, contain materials that were created, received, and/or collected by members of the Coman family, including Francis Dana Coman and John “Jack” Frederick Coman. Several items relate to Francis Dana Coman's military service and career in the polar regions. Included are photographs, correspondence, press clippings, awards, booklets, compasses, a Bible, and a pin.