The collection consists of six of Walter Crane’s sketchbooks. Two of the sketchbooks date to the summer of 1864, and the remaining four date to the summers of 1897, 1901, 1903, and 1905. The collection’s dates offer a contrast between Crane’s early and later career as an artist. The contents feature his preliminary designs, pictorial observations of the world, and textual notes.

Crane’s sketchbooks are filled with landscapes and towns and building interiors and exteriors from Crane’s life in England and travels to Ireland. Aligned with Crane’s commissioned and published works, the sketchbooks include sketches for his book designs, a heraldic eagle, and plans for a panel painting or frieze. Flora, fauna, men, women, children, Greco-Roman figures and architectural details make up the wide range of subjects covered in the sketchbooks.

The drawings range from Crane’s rough ideas expressed in his preliminary sketches and line drawings to tonal drawings and studies of individuals, landscapes, and flowers. The drawing techniques play with perspective, topography, bodily gesture, facial expression, tone, line, outline, form, and colour.

Crane’s notations appear throughout the sketchbooks, including on the sketches themselves and on their facing pages. He also hand-wrote inspirational excerpts from poems and essays which includes quotes from Charles Kingsley and John Ruskin works.

Between blank and torn pages, the medium for the textual and visual content shifts between pen and pencil on paper. Several landscapes are full-page watercolours on paper.

This file contains a carte de visite for S. Rondeau and includes a note: "Ave mille bons souhaits, S. Rondeau, 24/3/82."

This file contains a carte de visite for Rev. Daniel Coussirat from 1884 and a newspaper clipping of an obituary from 8 January, 1907. The carte de visite is addressed to Madame de Vasson (Louisa), with a note in Greek beneath.

This file contains a photogravure print of a portrait of Rev. John Bethune. Note beneath the image reads: "Rev. John Bethune, Acting Principal of McGill University, 1835-1846. From a painting in possession of Strachan Bethune, Esq., Montreal."

The Lyman-Scrimger Family Fonds consists of the papers of the Lyman, Scrimger and Johnston Families. Reverend John Scrimger's daughter married Walter Ernest Lyman and their daughter, Elizabeth, in turn married Wyatt Galt Johnston. Elizabeth's sister is Mary Minta Turnor.

The Lyman-Scrimger papers largely consist of approximately 42 cm of photographs. Two albums contain family portraits, while two others assembled by Albert Clarence Lyman (B.A., 1878) and Walter E. Lyman (B.A., 1881) also include pictures of McGill classmates. The large collection of unbound photographs contain a number of views of Western Canada taken ca. 1900, Montreal scenes, and travel snapshots taken in Europe (ca. 1905-1910). Two scrapbooks compiled by the Reverend John Scrimger contain newsclippings, poems, cards, letters, photographs, and memorabilia of a family or sentimental nature. The reminder of the papers consists of newsclippings, programmes and so forth related to members of the family as well as a few scattered items of correspondence, probably collected by Mrs. Walter Lyman.

The Johnston Family papers comprise Wyatt Galt Johnston’s laundry lists and grocery accounts, ca. 1899; a letter to Elizabeth Johnston from her mother in Lennoxville, 1906; H. Wyatt Johnston’s school reports, 1907-1911; and letters of sympathy and memorial cards sent to H. Wyatt Johnston on the death of his mother Elizabeth Johnston, 1943 and his aunt Mary Tunor, 1945.

Mary Minta Turnor’s papers consists of correspondence, largely with members of her family in the Eastern Townships on domestic news. A few photographs of houses and pets, as well as some recipes, are also included.

This file contains a carte de visite for J.P. Bruneau with the note: "Yours truly, J.P. Bruneau, Montreal 11/18/81."