The Chet Baker materials from the Papers of Diane Vavra consist of a small amount of letters, business and personal papers, and photographs dating from 1970 through the late 1980s. Fourteen manuscript love letters, all in Baker's hand and addressed to his long-time partner, Diane Vavra, comprise the Correspondence series. His musings about life on the road are dominated by confessions of love, requests for her presence, and apologies and inquiries about her fidelity. Evident throughout the documents are hints of Vavra's gradual withdrawal from Baker, whom she ultimately left as a result of his physical abuse and overindulgence in drugs.

Business and personal papers represent a small window into Baker's professional life and include promotional materials, address books, a royalty statement, a visa application, and a contract with documentary filmmaker Bruce Weber. The series also contains a suicidal message written on yellow legal paper. In the undated note, Baker confesses that he has attempted to kill himself by ingesting "large quantities of cocain [sic] and heroin." Vavra's rejection is cited as the catalyst for his baneful decision, for without her, music was all he had left to "hang on to."

The Photographs comprise the largest amount of material in the collection. Of the 83 images, about two-thirds are black and white, with a majority of these being professional portraits of Baker. Many of the images depict him performing, while others feature him and Vavra in various cozy postures. Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden are the four primary locales represented within the series. Aside from Baker himself, other individuals most frequently portrayed are Vavra and musicians with whom he collaborated.