This collection is separated into fifty-seven series relating to location. Each of the fifty states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., are represented. Each series contains subseries that cover different topics of the postcards and photographs. Examples include: “Attractions,” “Hotels & lodging,” “Restaurants & bars,” and “Transportation.” Most include a “General” subseries which contains souvenirs and images from the state as a whole, with no other specific topic included. Not every series includes items from every category.

In the “United States” series there are items representing the entirety of the country, items that cross state lines, or items that have unidentified locations. Other location based series include Canada, Mexico, Aruba, and Cuba. The “Negatives & transparencies” subseries found in the United States series contain negatives, slides, and transparencies removed from binders and kept in their original order with John Margolies' original labels. These were used by Margolies while planning for his books Hitting the Road (1996) and See the USA: the Art of the American Travel Brochure (1999). Notes are included with the materials and Margolies original organization for these has been preserved.

The rest of the collection has been kept in line with the original organizational attempt by John Margolies, however, the materials were disorganized and scattered upon accession and separation between the Audiovisual Department and Published Collections. It is important to note that this collection does not contain Margolies’ original photography, except for a few postcards in the “Margolies exhibits” subseries in the “United States” series. These postcards are his original photographs and served as advertisements for his exhibits at various institutions.

Though John Margolies personal photographs were primarily focused on unique or vernacular architecture, this collection contains an expansive range of buildings, businesses, and landscapes, as well as souvenir cards from several locations. Most postcards are photorealistic artist depictions or simply photographs. A variety of styles and trends in postcards spanning from 1890 to 2007 are reflected in this collection. The primary style is the 1940s and 1950s linen-style postcards, which were used primarily as business or attraction advertisements after World War II. Another large piece of this collection are early 1900s tourism souvenir postcards. The primary locations for this entire collection are Florida and New York, however, the Northeast United States is also prominent. The collection also reflects Margolies fondness for local businesses and unique places.

The most popular aspects of travel are the ones most heavily represented in this collection. Each series “Hotels & lodging” and “Restaurants & bars” subseries contain the most postcards, and the photographs in this collection are almost exclusively local businesses. Also prominently displayed are souvenir style postcards, which can be found for specific states and cities in the “General” and “Cities” subseries within each series. Souvenir cards span the most time, including cars from as early as 1888 and as late as 1980.

It is also important to note that the largest portion of the postcards are either blank or previously used. A small portion are addressed to John Margolies from family, friends, or attendees of his lectures or exhibits. These cases are noted in the scope and content note for the individual postcards.