The series consists of photographs predominantly depicting aspects of social and administrative life at Riverview Hospital and the School of Psychiatric Nursing as well as and Colony Farm. The photographs in the series portray the everyday social life of Riverview Hospital staff and volunteers as well as events, meetings, gatherings, and kinds of work they undertook. Additionally the series depicts scenes of Riverview Hospital's many buildings in varying states of completion, portraits of prize winning livestock (Holstein cattle, Clydesdale and Belgian horses), scenes during periods of flooding at Colony Farm, and equipment, vehicles, and technology used by the Hospital.

The glass plate negatives in Subseries 01 and 04 are known to have been taken by W.J. Moore, a prominent Vancouver photographer. It is possible that the entire collection was taken by W.J. Moore, although it has not been possible to confirm. Some photographs in Subseries 02 are thought to depict the Provincial Hospital for the Insane in New Westminster. Photographs in Subseries 04 are also thought to depict the Dominion Experimental Farm in Agassiz, B.C.

Record types consists largely of silver gelatin negatives in large format cellulose acetate sheets and cellulose acetate film strips. The subseries also contains a collection of glass plate negatives, chromogenic colour negative film strips and large format sheets, silver gelatin DOP prints, a photograph album, and a scrapbook.

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1941. The young women pictured in the photograph (from left to right) are: Top row - Euphemia Thompson (Maid of Honour), Joyce Brown (Maid of Honour), Gilbert Gamache (May Queen), Lois Jago (Miss Canada), Dolly Boe (Record Bearer); Bottom row - Simone Grimard (Flower Girl), and Jeannette L'Heureux (Flower Girl).

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1942. The young women pictured in the photograph (from left to right) are: Shirley Christmas (Flower Girl), Edith Alexander (Maid of Honour), Peggy Brittain (May Queen), Ruth Nyhang (Record Bearer), Dorothy Thacker (Miss Canada), Angeline Roberge (Maid of Honour), Doreen Cornelius (Flower Girl).

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1943. The young women pictured in the photograph (from left to right) include: Dolly Boe (Maid of Honour), Beverley Gold (Flower Girl), Pauline Pelcher (May Queen), Helen Gagn? (Miss Canada), Beverley Caddy (Maid of Honour), Doris Poncelet (Record Bearer), and Shirley Kenward (Flower Girl).

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1944. The young women pictured in the photograph (from left to right) include: Camille Leclair (Maid of Honour), Gloria Fife (Miss Canada), Mary Charlton (May Queen- top), Myrna Butler (Flower Girl- bottom), Betty Shankowitz (Flower Girl), Roland Payer (Maid of Honour- top), Joan Cooper (Record Bearer- bottom).

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1945. The young women pictured in the photograph (from left to right) include: Joan McIntyre (Maid of Honour), Anita Carpenter (Flower Girl), Doris Filiatrault (May Queen), Jean Trickey (Miss Canada), Vivian Desaulnier (Flower Girl), Helen Anderson (Maid of Honour), Patricia Oxtoby (Record Bearer).

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1946. The young women pictured in the photograph include: Shirley Christmas (May Queen- top middle), Shirley Williams (Maid of Honour- top left), Jeanne Carrier (Maid of Honour- top right), Vivian Noel (Miss Canada- right middle), Merle Cooper (Record Bearer- right bottom), Patricia Cosser (Flower Girl- bottom middle), and Eileen Severdid (Flower Girl- bottom left).

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1947. The young women pictured in the photograph include: Jeannette Barber (Flower Girl- left bottom), Teresa Albert (Maid of Honour- left middle), Mary Zaharko (Miss Canada- left top), Patricia Hartigan (May Queen), Sheila Kaila (Maid of Honour), Diane Randall (Flower Girl), Velma Hale (Record Bearer).

The item consists of a B&W portrait of the May Queen and her Attendants from 1948. The young women pictured in the photograph (from left to right) include: Gail Davies (Maid of Honour), Diane Hachey (Flower Girl), Alice Burslem (May Queen), Linda Martin (Flower Girl), Ann Stoddart (Miss Canada), Claudette Lambert (Maid of Honour), Diane Bouthot (Record Bearer).

The Riverview Hospital Historical Society collection consists of the records collected and maintained by the Riverview Hospital Historical Society (RHHS). Through their museum and library, the RHHS acquired and stewarded records documenting the history of Riverview Hospital, the British Columbia School of Psychiatric Nursing, and the history of psychiatric care in British Columbia.

The collection consists of a range of documentary forms, including: reports, theses, newspaper clippings, newsletters, publications, correspondence, manuals, plans and drawings, directories, inventories, procedures, programmes, annuals, invitations, motion pictures, personal narratives, staff lists, minutes, study notes, scrapbooks, ephemera, and photographs depicting aspects of social and administrative life at the hospital and school.

The collection is arranged into ten series that reflect original collections maintained by the RHHS, and are organized by media type or content. See the Arrangement note below for more information.