The collection is composed of postcards, donated by Mr. Burke, which focus primarily on scenes of Newport from 1892-2013. Prior to his donation, Mr. Burke had organized the postcards in binders and the original order has been maintained. Please note that not all postcard folders are composed entirely of scenes that reflect their label. Also included in this collection are a number of souvenir postcards for the state of Rhode Island, as well as other coastal towns like Providence, Bristol, Tiverton, and Little Compton.

Most of the collection illustrates scenes of Newport by location (i.e - bridges, Thames St., Washington Square Park, Cliff Walk). More than half of the postcards are landscapes, but do include some souvenir type images of young ladies at the beach or promotional postcards for new businesses. There are also postcards for restaurants, as well as some depicting artwork or scenes from inside some of Newport’s most notable locations. The date range varies from folder to folder, and is marked as such.

Included in the collection are postcards from Edward Burke to his daughter Emily, and his parents. Some postcards are also from Mr. Burke to himself. Other postcards have been used for correspondence, but show no connection to Mr. Burke.