Though Porter is known as a fine art photographer, he was, at core, a naturalist and scientist. His library reflects his life-long curiosity about the natural world. In addition to photography-related titles, one is just as likely to come across a book by Darwin or a field guide to trees in the Appalachian Mountains. The library charts the evolution of the artist’s career, encompassing books from his early studies in biology, biophysics, and biochemistry to titles he collected later that mirrored his environmental concerns, connection with the Sierra Club, and focus on photographing the natural world. Matching Porter’s preoccupation with photographing birds, the collection has many ornithological titles and includes numerous titles on photographic technology. In addition to books, Porter also collected a range of periodical titles related to natural history and photography.