| Agriculture | Animals |
| Includes images of farms and ranches; and any kind of agricultural activity or product, including livestock. | Includes images of animals, the majority of which are horses. Also includes butchered animals |
| Businesses | Buildings |
| Includes images that feature small businesses such as stores, stables, hotels, barber shops and saloons. | Includes images of miscellaneous large buildings. Includes court houses and churches. Does not include houses, small businesses, libraries, and school buildings. These have their own catagory. |
| Houses | Big Events |
| Includes images of houses. | Includes images of parades, Fourth of July celebrations, and other grand occasions. |
| Civil Engineering | Construction |
| Includes images of large scale projects, such as dams and canals. Does not include timber, railroad, and oil projects; these have their own catagories. | Includes images of relatively small scale construction projects, such as buildings. |
| Curiosities | Disasters |
| Includes images of odd things and individuals. | Includes images of earthquakes, floods, fires, and explosions. For train wrecks, see Railroads. |
| Libraries | Oil |
| Includes images of library buildings, library programs, and patrons. | Includes images of oil rigs and other equipment, oil workers, daily life, and grand panoramas of oil fields. |
| People | Organizations |
| Includes images featuring people. Does not include class photos, which will be found under "Schools." | Includes images of the members of clubs and other organizations. Does not include sports teams -- see Recreation. |
| Portraits | Railroads |
| Includes portraits of individuals and families. | Includes images of engines and cars, track, depots, and trains used for timber operations. |
| Recreation | Scenery |
| Includes images of people engaging in sports, picnics, theater, parties, and dining. | Includes images featuring natural scenery. |
| Schools | Street Scenes |
| Includes images of school buildings, activites, and class photos. | Includes images of city streets, typically with businesses, pedestrians, and traffic. |
| Transportation | Timber |
| Includes images of automobiles, horse-drawn wagons and carriages, mule and ox teams, and airplanes. It does not include railroad transportation, which is its own catagory. | Includes images of the felling, transportation, and processing of timber. Also miscellaneous woodland scenes. |
| Native Californians | |
| Includes images of people of the early cultures of California. |