The papers document the life of Maisie Drysdale, which was intertwined with that of her first husband, Peter Purves Smith, and her second husband, Russell Drysdale. The bulk of the papers relate to her life after her marriage to Drysdale in 1964. There are diaries, correspondence, cuttings, papers about the establishment of Bouddi Farm and a large number of photographs which include early family portraits. Correspondents include Helen Garner, Mary Eagle, Murray Bail, Nadia Wheatley, Joyce Grenfell, Drusilla Modjeska, Spike Milligan, and Donald Friend.