The collection primarily consists of images featuring the Marshall family and their relatives and friends, both in formal group portraits and more casual poses.

William H. Rau (1855-1920) was prominent Philadelphia photographer. During the 1870s and 1880s, William H. Rau would become best known for his work photographing scenic views from around the world. In 1895, Rau received a commission from the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Once again traveling in a customized passenger car, Rau traveled on the Lehigh Valley Railroad’s lines from New York City to the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and upstate New York, documenting hundreds of landscapes along the way. Over two hundred images from this appointment would later be placed in Lehigh Valley Railroad terminals and public sites along the railroad’s reach.