The collection contains graphic materials documenting John McShain's family life and personal interests, his career as a building contractor, and his involvement in horse racing.

A large portion of John McShain's personal photographs are portraits and snapshots of himself and his family through the years, including his parents and siblings, his wife Mary Horstmann McShain and the Horstmann family, and his daughter Pauline (Polly). These include major family events such as John and Mary's wedding, anniversaries, birthdays, and milestones in Polly's life, such as her entrance into the convent. There are also numerous snapshots of the McShains with family and friends, including New Year's Eve celebrations, dinners, vacations and other leisure activities, as well as pictures of their homes: their house in Overbrook, Pennsylvania, their apartment in the Barclay Hotel, Philadelphia, and their country retreat in Ireland, Killarney House. There are also photographs of the McShains with business associates, religious leaders, and other public figures, including Popes, American presidents, and the president of Ireland, Sean T. O'Kelly. Many items document John McShain's deep involvement with the Catholic Church, including photographs of Knights of Malta, Men of Malvern and other Catholic organization's events; a private audience with Pope Paul VI; and a papal blessing. There are also photographs from other associations John McShain was involved with such as the Beneficial Savings Fund, Philadelphia, and the Union League of Philadelphia. Miscellaneous items include prints of historic automobiles and locomotives and one of a Cessna Skynight airplane.

A large bulk of the collection documents John McShain's career as a building contractor. For the most part, McShain's company built public buildings, schools, churches, hotels, and shopping centers, etc. The photographs are primarily of the buildings before, during, and after construction. For many of the buildings, there are pictures of the groundbreakings, dedications, and cornerstone layings. Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Vice-President Richard Nixon are pictured in these ceremonies for many of the major buildings in Washington, D.C. Most of the buildings in the collection are located in New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., where offices were maintained, but a few are in California, Connecticut, Delaware, and Florida. Major projects in Washington, D.C. include the White House Renovation, the Pentagon (no construction views), the Jefferson Memorial, the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the General Accounting Office, the Department of State Building, the National Airport, the National Institutes of Health, the National Naval Medical Center, and the Senate Office Building, among others. There were also numerous projects in and around Philadelphia, John McShain's hometown, including St. Joseph's College, La Salle College, Rosemont College, the United States Naval Hospital, the Municipal Court House, and the Board of Public Education Building. The collection also includes photographs and proofs used in the production of the book, Thirty Years of Building Progress, which documents the buildings and structures constructed by John McShain, Inc. up to the year 1954.

Many photographs in the collection document John McShain's interest in horse racing. Many pictures are of race horses owned by John McShain and his Barclay Stable, including his two most victorious horses, Ballymoss and Gladness. There are also numerous victory photographs from the years 1953 to 1973, as well as photographs of various races, the McShains at races, the Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien and his family, and trophies the Barclay Stable won.

The films in the collection consist of home movies of the McShain family and footage of various horse races. The family films document each of Polly McShain's birthdays, other family events, and vacations, from the 1920s through the 1960s. There are also videotapes of family-produced movies about Mary McShain and the Horstmann family, and of John McShain's funerals in Killarney, Ireland and Philadelphia. One film covers the history of the Killarney House in Ireland, from its earliest history until its ownership by the McShain family. The other films in the collection are primarily of various horse races in the United States and England. There are, however, also films with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the FDR Library in Hyde Park, New York. The collection also includes several sound recordings of horse races in which Ballymoss and Gladness participated.