The Photographic Prints and Negatives series documents many aircraft, people and organizations affiliated with the Curtiss-Wright Company and its predecessor companies, spanning the early 1900s through 1960 with the bulk of items from the 1930s-1940s. While Series V. contains 14 photographic prints and Series VII. contains 263 prints and 1 negative, the bulk of visual imagery can be found in this series, with 3,502 photographic prints, 462 negatives, and 1 photomechanical print among these files. The series is subdivided into seven subseries: A. Aircraft from Curtiss-Wright affiliated companies; B. Aircraft from other companies; C. Curtiss Flying Service Photography Division aerial views; D. Curtiss-Wright Flying Service and Airports Corporation locations; E. Facilities of Curtiss-Wright affiliated companies; Facilities of other companies; and F. People, Organizations, and Events.

Subseries A documenting aircraft from Curtiss-Wright affiliated companies is the largest subseries with 2,175 prints and 373 negatives. This subseries is subdivided by company, with eight companies represented and organized in alphabetical order. The vast majority of aircraft documented here are from the Curtiss brand, with 2,055 prints and 355 negatives. Keystone aircraft are documented by 53 prints and 6 negatives, and the other companies represented in this subseries (the Aerial Experiment Association, Huff-Daland, Loening, Travel Air, Wright Aeronautical, and Wright Company) only have a few images each. Additionally, there are 27 prints and 4 negatives of assorted engines and propellers.

Subseries B. Aircraft from other companies, is comprised of 455 prints and 62 negatives. Among these images are aircraft from Boeing, Douglas, Lockheed, Martin, North American, and Republic, among other brands. Some of these aircraft feature propellers or engines from Curtiss-Wright.

The Curtiss-Wright Company is further represented with images from the Curtiss Flying Service Photography Division, the Curtiss-Wright Airport Corporation, and of various company facilities. The 68 photographs related to the Curtiss-Wright Flying Service do not depict aircraft, equipment or staff of the service, but rather are examples of the aerial photography taken by that division commissioned by assorted clients. The images are primarily of buildings, cities and other locations from the east coast of the U.S. The subseries on Curtiss-Wright Airports Corporation locations includes additional aerial views as well as images of building exteriors and interiors, but these are particularly of Curtiss-Wright operated facilities. A significant number of images are present documenting the development of the airfield at Caldwell, New Jersey.

Subseries E on Curtiss-Wright facilities similarly has documentation of company properties, but instead of airports, this subseries consists of images of factories and office buildings. The Wright Company is documented with five negatives; the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company with 97 prints and 15 negatives; Wright Aeronatical Corporation with 43 prints and 6 negatives; and Curtiss-Wright with 277 prints and 1 negative. Of particular note is an album with 88 prints documenting the construction of the Curtiss Aeroplane plant in Buffalo, New York; 87 images documenting construction of the Curtiss-Wright plant in St. Louis, Missouri; 33 prints from the Caldwell, New Jersey Curtiss-Wright plant which primarily show employees; and more than 100 images of construction and employees of the Columbus, Ohio Curtiss Aeroplane division plant. Additionally, two files in this subseries include images of aircraft under construction: the file on the Robertson, Missouri plant includes images of the CW-21B Interceptor-Fighter and the file on the Buffalo, New York plant contains images of P-40 Tomahawk family aircraft construction. Nineteen images are present of Chrysler and Sikorsky plants.

The final subseries includes a mix of photographs of people, organizations and events with a total of 203 prints and 5 negatives. These folders are organized alphabetically by subject. A few airlines are represented, including Delta, Eastern Air Lines, Pennsylvania Central Airlines, and Trans World Airlines. A large proportion of the people represented are affiliated with the U.S. military. A few assorted and unidentified items are at the end of the series.

Overall, the prints in this series are primarily 8x10-inches and all are black-and-white; there are no color images. The majority of negatives are also 8x10-inches but some 4x5-inch negatives are also present. A fair amount of duplication occurs. While some of the prints correspond to negatives, the majority of prints do not have corresponding negatives and likewise many of the negatives do not have corresponding prints. Many of the prints and negatives are original, vintage items with stamps and notations on their versos or printed captions attached, but a few later prints and copy negatives are also present.

Some files in this series also include 3-view diagrams or textual items such as clippings, marketing documents and press releases.