The collection occupies 31.5 linear feet and consists of seven photograph albums, two scrapbooks, 16 journals, more than 900 photographs and negatives, postcards, travel brochures, greeting cards, and other personal ephemera. The materials recount Palemon Howard Dorsett and William Joseph Morse's 1929-1931 Asian expedition, illustrating plant varieties and uses, landscapes, and cultural practices. While soybean plants and their farming techniques and uses are the primary focus of the collection, the expedition materials also document the landscapes, agricultural practices, and culture of Japan, Korea, and China. The photograph album portion of the collection was processed and a corresponding finding aid (available online) was completed April 5, 2002. The loose photographs and negatives, scrapbooks, official journals and personal items were processed and a comprehensive finding aid for all parts of the collection was completed in 2005 by Kara L. Boehne.
