There are many archival photography collections that are forgotten or ignored because of their lack of accompanying written documentation. Despite this, these collections have tremendous value which can be discovered through alternate methods of research and analysis. This thesis provides an example of how to approach and research such collections by examining the work of Ernest William Albert Crocker, whose business, Trio Photograph and Supply Company, operated in Victoria from 1908-1946. It presents an introductory review of Crocker's life and work from what he left behind in the Trio Photograph Collection which consists of over 20,000 images. This thesis examines his photographs from both documentary and aesthetic perspectives and constructs a comparison between Crocker's work and that of a contemporary Vancouver photographer, Leonard Frank (1870-1944). It establishes an appreciation for the significance of the Trio Photograph Collection within the contexts of social and photo-history and lays the foundation from which any future research of Crocker' s photographs can begin. / Graduate