This collection consists primarily of photographic materials, including negatives, contact sheets, slides, and prints. Though the majority of these were created by Rod Dresser, a small number of slides contain images of other artists' work. He photographed a variety of subjects, including architecture and buildings, landscapes and the natural world, objects and still lifes, and people both in studio and outdoors.

Roderick Arthur Dresser (1933-2011) was a photographer in California's Monterey Peninsula area. He worked in the United States Navy for many years, before retiring to run his family's construction business. He later began to dedicate himself to photography full-time, starting with a job as Ansel Adams's special photographic assistant in 1981, remaining active in the studio for most of that decade. After the latter's death, he worked as the business manager for the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust and then went on to teach workshops and give lectures around the United States. Dresser considered Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Brett Weston, Paul Strand, and Harry Callahan to be major influences in his work. His early work had a major focus on the California landscapes, with increasingly abstract interpretations approaching minimalism. He published a limited-edition monogram, Artist's Choice, in 2000. -- adapted from donor description

69 Linear Feet (14 manuscript boxes, 44 flat boxes, 2 card boxes, 7 map folders)

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Collection is open for research, with exception of digital materials, which are closed until processed. Materials must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.