This record group is comprised of analog image files amassed by the office known as Communications and External Affairs (CEA), one of The New School's largest administrative units. Images take the form of prints, contact sheets and thumbnail printouts, transparencies, and negatives. Many of the prints and contact sheets bear editorial markings, evidence of their use in printed course catalogs and promotional materials, press kits, and marketing and publicity products created by the office. Frequent subjects include campus facilities, faculty and administrators, Parsons School of Design classes, the Parsons fashion critics awards, commencement ceremonies, and guests of the "Inside the Actors Studio" series. Photographers represented include, in roughly chronological order: Gin Briggs (1960s), Peter Moore (late 1960s-1970s), Paul Seligman (1970s), Stanley Seligson (1970s-1980s), Bob Adelman (late 1970s-1980s), Björg (1980s-1990s), Joseph Schuyler (1980s-1990s), Jerry Speier (1980s-1990s), Karen Zebulon (1980s), Jerry Bauer (1990s), Arlene Collins (1990s), Brooke Hunyady (1990s), Harry Heleotis (1990s-2000s), and Stephanie Berger (2000s).

While earlier materials are present, the bulk of photographs date from 1990-2005. It is possible that the documentation ends at this point due to changes in image storage technologies, with Communications and External Affairs staff beginning in the early 2000s to store born-digital images on computer hard drives, servers and digital asset management systems, rather than in physical filing cabinets, which is where the files comprising this record group were stored prior to being transferred to the Archives.