These photographs cover Mr Whitlam's activities during his Parliamentary career, from the time he became the Member for Werriwa until he retired from Parliament in 1978. The subjects of the photographs include family gatherings, meetings with foreign dignitaries on overseas trips, electioneering activities and various official and unofficial occasions. Also included are publicity portraits of Mr and Mrs Whitlam and of the Labor Ministers.

The series was transferred with no discernible order in the photographs. Therefore Australian Archives staff have arranged them in four categories, each with a letter prefix, on the basis of storage requirements. These are:

A - Albums of photographs and photographs mounted in folders.

B - Photographs of varying sizes, but no larger than 32 x 22.5cm

C - Photographs larger than 32 x 22.5cm.

D - Photographs larger than 42 x 38cm.

Within these categories, photographs have been sorted into chronological order as far as they could be identified. They have then been listed. The list is not an attempt to itemise each photograph, but rather to record, as far as possible, the occasions depicted in the photographs. For protection and ease of retrieval the photographs have been placed in bundles, in envelopes of a uniform size. Photographs relating to a particular occasion have been kept together in a stapled paper folder, with several such folders in each envelope. Many photographs remain either partially or totally unidentified. These are listed as far as possible. Metal clips have been removed and sheets of plain paper have been inserted to protect neighbouring photos where sticky tape has been used to fasten a label on the back.