The collection consists of papers of the Mathews family, a 19th-century English theatrical family whose members performed and wrote for the stage and achieved fame as gifted mimics and comedians. There is much correspondence between the family members: Charles Mathews, his second wife, Anne Jackson Mathews, their son, Charles James Mathews, and his wife, Elizabeth (Eliza) Lucy Vestris Mathews. Included are manuscripts of autobiographies written by both the father and son, as well as some manuscripts of monologues, songs, roles, and music. The collection also contains documents, notebooks, and newspapers clippings, and there are printed works of Charles Mathews, including comic annuals, sketches, and olios.