Scope and arrangement
The papers of this noted actress consist chiefly of incoming correspondence, 1874-1940. Most of the letters are from prominent theater and literary figures relating to their or her work on stage and her work at Rollins College. There is much personal correspondence from family and friends, especially from popular novelist Faith Baldwin,, a long time friend of Russell's. Among the letters those from George Bernard Shaw concerning a production of Major Barbara in 1906. Correspondence dated after Russell's death are letters of sympathy to her sister, Mrs. John J. Carty and letters to Dorothy Lockhart relating to the Annie Russell Theater. There are also fan letters and a group of celebrity autographs collected by Russell.
The remainder of the collection consists of writings by Russell, poems by her and others; a pocket diary kept during a coast to coast road tour, 1907; fragmentary diary, 1920-1925; a pocket diary, 1930; two pocket notebooks of road tour statistics, 1898-1900 and 1901-1904; an address book; papers relating to her marriage to and divorce from Oswald Yorke, 1904-1929 and the sale of her St. Petersburg, Florida home, 1923-1934.
The Annie Russell papers are arranged in five series: