Richard A. Welch artwork, 1918

The Writings and drawings series, 1850-1918, contains diaries, poems, and artwork created by members of the Carr and Lukens families.

Included in this series are the diaries of Eliza Jane Carr Lukens, 1856-1878. Eliza Jane's diaries primarily discuss day-to-day events, including the weather, daily chores, visitors to the family home, shopping trips, school activities, deaths in the family, and family activities. There are several years for which Eliza Jane's diaries have not survived, including 1858, the year that she attended the Lincoln-Douglas debate. Occasionally, her diary entries remark on national events, such as elections and Civil War battles. Also included is a folder of Eliza Jane's sketches, which she created while taking art classes as a student, and several of her compositions, including prose and poetry.

This series also contains the diaries, 1866-1876, of Eliza Jane's cousin, Emma Lukens. Emma's diary entries are longer and more introspective than Eliza Jane's, and she frequently writes about her sorrow and frustration at the actions of various family members and their apparent neglect.