The Nathan A. Cobb series documents Cobb's ground-breaking work in plant pathology and nematology and includes an extensive assortment of visual materials related to his personal and professional activities. The series is comprised of six major sections: Personal, Professional, Publications, Inventions and Patents, Clippings, and Visual Materials. "Personal" content provides biographical information about Cobb and includes educational materials (through his doctoral studies at the University of Jena) as well as correspondence with friends, family, and various scientific figures in the United States and Australia (including Alexander Graham Bell, William Farrer, and H. C. L. Anderson). The "Professional" section documents Cobb's various endeavors and consists of correspondence and materials related to his work as an instructor (at the Williston Seminary in Easthampton, MA), analytical chemist, advertiser (for the American importer Chipman in Australia), and research scientist (in Australia and the United States). "Publications" include collections of works self-published by Cobb and members of his family as well as content that appeared in various journals and conference proceedings. The sketches, drawings, and lithographic prints that illustrate these works are noteworthy for their detail and clarity (the Yearbooks from 1884-1898 are especially rich in this regard). "Inventions and Patents" contain drawings, explanations, correspondence, and (where applicable) official patents in the United States and abroad related to Cobb's innovations and improvements on cameras, microscopes, and other implements. "Clippings" include material from newspapers and magazines (predominantly from the United States and Australia, although other countries are also represented) that relates to Cobb's personal and professional endeavors. Finally, the "Visual Materials" section contains images in various formats related to Cobb's research and publications and also reveals his ability to capture exquisite photographs of both daily life and scientific phenomena. These photographic images include albums of snapshots from the United States, Europe, Algeria, and Australia as well as a large number of plate glass negatives and positive images. Subject matter includes agricultural practices, varied flora and fauna, members of the Cobb family, and street scenes from a variety of locales (including San Francisco prior to the 1906 earthquake).
