This collection covers both the public and the private aspects of Violet Markham. The documents relating to her public works cover her involvement in the National Relief Fund, the Central Committee on Women's Employment, the Women's Section of the National Service Department, the Unemployment and Assistance Board, the Trade Board for the Cutlery Industry, and the Voluntary Social Services Enquiry, along with material on the issue of domestic service. The documents relating to Markham's private life consist of biographical and personal material, including diaries, correspondence, photographs, writings, speeches and broadcasts, and material documenting her education, domestic and household matters, and her work on Joseph Paxton, her grandfather, who designed the Crystal Palace.