The Dollie Radford papers, 1883-1910, document the literary career and various aspects of the family life of the Radfords. With the exception of one file of various writers, the material is arranged alphabetically by author of the document and is then further arranged alphabetically by title or type of the work. The various types of documents include clippings, correspondence, diaries, literary manuscripts and typescripts, proof sheets, and photographs.

The literary manuscripts consist primarily of the works of Dollie Radford but also contain works by her two daughters, Hester Maitland Radford and Margaret Maitland Radford, as well as works by her husband, Ernest Radford. The diaries are primarily those of Dollie Radford, beginning from May 1883, the year in which she married Ernest, through the tragic years of his mental breakdown. A diary by Ernest Radford not only documents his trip to Italy but explains his theories of art.

Letters from Dollie Radford to her daughter Hester constitute most of the correspondence. There are also several letters to Dollie Radford from D. H. Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, and H. G. Wells.

A small printed-book collection accompanies the papers, consisting of some of the published volumes of poetry by Dollie Radford as well as some of the published volumes by her husband.