The remainder of this guide highlights selected collections and types of images in Prints & Photographs Division that are strong in their representation of works by and about women. Understanding the context in which someone originally created or collected an image and the purpose for which it was intended is fundamental to evaluating its content and significance. Therefore, the selected holdings are grouped according to that principle, while recognizing that there are overlaps among the categories and that a single image may often be put to multiple uses.

The following sections of this guide focus on topics and materials types reflecting the division's collection strengths and the wide variety of uses to which pictorial materials traditionally have been put:

• to present the news or otherwise communicate visually in a journalistic context (see the Graphic Journalism Collections and Photojournalism Collections sections of this guide)
• to document systematically an event, era, or phenomenon, here termed “documentary surveys” (see the Documentary Surveys section of this guide)
• to advertise products, activities, or organizations (see the Advertising & Propaganda section of this guide)
• to educate, entertain, and satisfy the need for aesthetic expression (see the Pictures: Business & Art section of this guide)
• to aid materially in the design of structures or products (see the Design Collections section of this guide)
• to record the activities and associations of individuals or organizations (see the Images from Organizations' Records and Images from Personal Papers sections of this guide)

Each collection description summarizes the contents, images relevant to American women's history, and information on searching and viewing materials. A "Further Information" section at the end of the page provides links to searchable content and related research guides and resources, followed by sample images from the body of material being described.