The collection consists of about 275 negatives of scenes, primarily of houses, in the Germantown and Overbrook sections of Philadelphia, and in nearby suburban Wynnewood and Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The photographs originated with Walter Bassett Smith, who, with Herman Wendell, owned the real estate development and construction firm Wendell & Smith. The Walter B. Smith negatives, 1888-1921, are on long-term loan to the Athenaeum of Philadelphia; contact the Athenaeum to access the collection.