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This collection contains primarily 19th-century published prints depicting British and French dramatic theatres, with a small representation of international theatres. Images of sculpture, costumes, and fashion plates are also included. The majority of images are from published sources and are colored. Nearly all the prints are titled and most include artist, printer, and/or publisher information. Many noted printmakers are represented in this collection.

Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, memorabilia, scrapbooks, and printed material. Among his correspondents represented in the collection by at least 75 items are: William Archer, Hobart C. Chatfield-Taylor, Augustin Daly, Austin Dobson, Hamlin Garland, Bronson Howard, William Dean Howells, Henry Arthur Jones, Henry Cabot Lodge and Thomas Raynesford Lounsbury. There are bound volumes of letters from Henry C. Bunner, Andrew Lang, Rudyard Kipling, Theodore Roosevelt, miscellaneous letters to Matthews, and Matthews' editorial correspondence with the North American Review. There are three boxes of manuscripts, including poems by 21 authors; essays on drama; and plays by Henry Arthur Jones, Don Marquis, and Matthews; bound volumes of manuscripts of Matthews' plays and his book, "Development for the Drama." Also included are 17 boxes of his manuscript notes for his many lectures, articles, and books; and memorabilia, primarily from the theatre and from his life at Columbia. Material on the Dunlap Society, which was devoted to printing works relating to the theater, of which Matthews was co-founder with Laurence Hutton, includes documents and correspondence, much of which is between then secretary Evert J. Wendell and members on meetings and other Society business around 1914. In addition, there are notes and correspondence of Herbert Kleinfield relating to his research on Matthews.

The group of letters written by Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and members of his family to Brander Matthews are mounted on the blank leaves of two volumes. The majority of the material (240 letters and cards) were written by Theodore Roosevelt. These are personal letters which reflect his many interests and activities dealing with such subjects as his own writings and publications, opinions of contemporary literature, Matthews' system of reformed English spelling and Roosevelt's attempt to introduce this into the publications of the Government Printing Office, travels, friends, meetings, and social events. Also, ten letters and cards from Edith Kermit Roosevelt to the Matthews family and a few items from other members of the Roosevelt family. The letters are in typescript and script and are dated from various places in this country and abroad.