The James D. Griffin Photograph Collection documents Douglas Aircraft Company (DAC) aircraft manufactured during the 1910s-1970s. The collection contains five hundred and ninety-six (596) photographs, likely collected and notated by Griffin, featuring primarily DAC aircraft models but also, to a lesser extent, other manufacturer aircraft models: Aero Spacelines, Boeing, Consolidated, and Northrop.

Aircraft are shown in flight and on the ground, as well as in production at DAC plants. Photographs also feature aircraft interiors (cabins, cockpits, and instrumental panels), a small number of crashes, and DAC production facilities. Employees are also depicted, including women working on the aircraft assembly line. Some photographs show documents or items, including Donald Douglas' appointment to Assistant in Aeronautical Engineering from MIT and DAC airline partner service pins. A few images depict non-Douglas related happenings, such as a 1941 labor strike at North American Aviation, the Graf Zeppelin, and a 1909 Bleriot airplane on display.

Notable people include D.W. Douglas, Donald Douglas Jr., William Douglas, John K. Northrop, as well as managers, test pilots, and engineers for Douglas Aircraft Company (DAC) and Northrop, some of who are identified on the photographs. Notable locations include the Douglas plants in El Segundo, Santa Monica, and Long Beach (California) and Tulsa (Oklahoma).

The majority of photographs have typed captions on front of image, identifying specific aircraft models, dates of production, people, and locations. Some captions provide additional background on the aircraft including who the airplane was made for and how many were made. Many photographs have handwritten notes on front and/or back, DAC official stamps and/or numbers. There are some duplicate images.

The collection also includes a small amount of textual documentation: newspaper clippings related to Douglas Aircraft Company; obituaries for both Donald Douglas and John Northrop; several issues of Yesteryear, a feature column written by Bob Williams that discusses DAC models; booklets relating to DAC organization and aircraft; and several photocopied documents that include a letter suggesting a Douglas library and museum, an announcement for the Douglas library and museum, and photographs of unidentified people.