The majority of correspondence dates from 1841 to 1916. Other miscellaneous documents date through 1970. These letters and postcards represent leisure and business correspondence to and from the Clarkes and reflect concerns, beliefs and opinions of ordinary men and women of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The photos within this collection date from the 1840s and include various methods of processing illustrative of the evolution of photographic procedures. The majority of the photos are in carte de visite format. Also included in the collection are cabinet mounted photos and Kodak box camera snapshots. Additionally, photos taken in the 1970s depict the Clarke's ancestral home, Patmore Manor in Bishop Stortford, England. The transcription of an oral history interview conducted in 1998 with Alice B. Wilkes is also included.
