The professional and personal papers of Joseph and Elizabeth Robins Pennell, together with those of their close friend James McNeill Whistler, collected over a period of fifty years (circa 1885-1935), form a rich source of information concerning the personalities, artistic climate, and mores of the period. The papers in their totality contain the most comprehensive existing record of Whistler's career. They span the years 1597-1937 with the bulk of the material dating from 1880 to 1937 and are organized into fifteen series: Whistler Correspondence ; Typescripts of Whistler Correspondence ; Whistler and His Circle ; Miscellaneous Whistler Manuscripts ; Anna Matilda Whistler Papers ; Whistler Printed Matter ; Pennell Correspondence ; Pennell Correspondence Relating to Whistler ; Joseph and Elizabeth Robins Pennell Correspondence ; Book, Article, and Lecture File ; Pennell Miscellany ; Charles Godfrey Leland Papers ; 1980 Addition ; 2018 Addition ; and Oversize .

The papers are separated into two major groups, one of Whistler and the other of the Pennells. The Whistler segment consists of original copies of Whistler correspondence, legal papers used in the famous Whistler-Ruskin trial, papers concerning the abortive Whistler memorial, and an extensive file of newspaper clippings relating to Whistler that date from 1847 to 1937.

Perhaps the most outstanding group of Whistler letters written to one person is that addressed to David Croal Thomson of London, when the latter was arranging the 1892 Whistler exhibition in the Goupil Gallery that brought the artist wide recognition. The letters show the infinite care taken by Whistler in assembling the exhibit, writing the catalog, designing the poster, and in general, supervising the entire exhibition.

The diary of Anna Matilda Whistler, the subject of Whistler's Arrangement in Grey and Black, for the year 1850 is included in the papers, as well as her letters to various friends.

The Pennell portion of the papers (roughly half the collection) contains letters received by the Pennells, with an occasional draft of the Pennells' reply. In addition to approximately four hundred letters written to the Pennells by James McNeill Whistler, the correspondence includes substantial groups of letters from such eminent figures in the world of arts and letters as Elmer Adler, J. M. Barrie, Paul Wayland Bartlett, Ford Madox Brown, Timothy Cole, Royal Cortissoz, Walter Crane, John F. Flanagan, Cass Gilbert, Edmund Gosse, Childe Hassam, Henry James, Robert Underwood Johnson, John Lane, A. Edward Newton, Agnes Repplier, Alice Caldwell Hegan Rice, Auguste Rodin, William Edwin Rudge, Linley Sambourne, John Singer Sargent, and John Charles Van Dyke.

However, the major part of this correspondence deals with Joseph Pennell's publishers, the art galleries that handled the sale of his lithographs and etchings, and the various museums in the United States and abroad that exhibited his works. The correspondence also contains an interesting record of art work in the field of government propaganda during World War I.

A separate series of Pennell letters in bound volumes, Pennell Correspondence Relating to Whistler , closely parallels the general correspondence described above.

Letters exchanged between Joseph Pennell and his wife, Elizabeth Robins Pennell , are grouped separately and cover the years 1883-1923.

The fecundity of Pennell's work in the field of graphic arts was matched by his literary production. In addition to the original manuscript and research notes of his magnum opus, The Life of James McNeill Whistler (written in collaboration with his wife), there are manuscripts and galley proofs of many of his other books. These are supplemented by a file of his articles and lectures.

The final series before the additions to the collection is the papers of Charles Godfrey Leland. Leland (1824-1903), an American author, folklorist, and philologist, was an uncle of Elizabeth Robins Pennell. These papers, which cover the years 1835-1902, present a picture of Leland's extensive travels and studies in Europe and were the source materials for Elizabeth Robins Pennell's 1906 two-volume biography of Leland. Additional Leland papers are in the 2018 Addition.

A 1980 Addition to the papers was received in 1978 by Peter H. Davidson & Company, Inc., consisting mainly of correspondence received by Elizabeth Robins Pennell over the years 1884-1936. Among the major correspondents within this group are Paul Wayland Bartlett, Royal Cortissoz, John F. Flanagan, Rodman Gilder, Marie Belloc Lowndes, Agnes Repplier (over one hundred letters), Cale Young Rice, and May Sinclair. The final item in the addition is a letter of 1903 from Frederick Henry Evans to Joseph Pennell concerning photographs Evans took of Aubrey Beardsley.

The 2018 Addition consists of items that were transferred from the Prints and Photographs Division in 2010. Most of this material was originally received by the Manuscript Division in 1926, some items later, and sent to Prints and Photographs. Eventually, some of the papers were deemed inappropriate for their division and returned to the Manuscript Division for inclusion in the Pennell-Whistler Collection. The Whistler material in this addition is primarily research files and draft writings about Whistler. The correspondence file contains letters received by both Elizabeth and Joseph Pennell, drafts and copies of letters by Joseph Pennell, and a group of letters between Elizabeth and Joseph Pennell. Also included are additional papers of Elizabeth's uncle, writer and folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland including diaries, a journal, and correspondence. From Leland, Elizabeth Pennell developed an interest in the folk culture of the Romanies (she co-founded the Gypsy Lore Society in 1888 and published To Gipsyland in 1893). Correspondence with officers of the Gypsy Lore Society, in the alphabetical file, documents her continued involvement with that organization until the end of her life. Of particular interest in the 2018 addition are the files showing Joseph Pennell's careful oversight of book design and publication. Alternate book covers, examples of paper and ink choices, careful annotations of galley prints concerning type style, layout, and illustration quality, all document Pennell's concern with his publications as art works. The books with the most extensive files in the addition are Adventures of an Illustrator , Etchers and Etching , 2nd, edition, and The Glory of New York .