The collection consists of advertising materials for the manufacturers and retailers in the clothing industry, mainly of Rochester, NY. Men's, women's, and children's fashions and accessories from the turn of the century to the 1960s are represented. A wide variety of materials are found in the collection, including style model books, posters, photographs, brochures, catalogs, circulars, and sample fabrics. Box 1 contains the materials of several clothing manufacturers, primarily Michaels-Stern & Co. (and its associated Australian retailer) and Levy Bros. & Adler-Rochester, Inc. Large advertising poster boards for these two Rochester firms can also be found in Box 3. Also of interest in Box 1 are photographs and display posters for a manufacturing facility in France, showing the differences between clothing manufacturing in the United States and France. Box 2 contains a broad range of advertisement materials for many clothing retailers located in Rochester and other locations. A significant amount of this material concerns women's fashions. Also included in this box are miscellaneous materials relating to laundering, sewing, and fabric use. Box 4 contains lithographic prints advertising men's clothing made by Adler-Rochester.

The collection consists of 131 posters advertising attractions coming to Rochester, New York theatres during the early 1880s. The lithographed posters are a graphic record of the public amusement available in Rochester during this period and provide a broader view of the theatrical offerings of the era including drama, comedy, melodrama and vaudeville.