Charles Harbutt taught photography at Parsons School of Design from the early 1990s until his death in 2015. He served as the president of the photographic cooperative Magnum twice, and his work appeared in many publications and exhibitions. The collection consists of material created and assembled by Harbutt for his Parsons classes.

Occurring annually between 1981 and 1989, the Focus Photography Workshops offered a week-long immersion in a specialized area of photography with a public lecture series running during the same period. The workshops were targeted toward non-degree students with advanced photography skills. This collection includes audio recordings from the Focus lectures by professionals in the fields of photojournalism, advertising and fashion photography.