The collection includes correspondence from Konstantin Balḿont, Nikolaĭ Evreĭnov, Zinaida Gippius, Georgiĭ Grebenshchikov, Vasiliĭ Maklakov, Sergeĭ Potresov and Nadezhda Teffi. There is one letter each from Boris Bakhmeteff, Vera Bunina, Aleksandr Grechaninov, Aleksandr Kuprin and Alekseĭ Tolstoĭ. The manuscripts include poems and a play scenario by Nadezhda Teffi as well as Roshchina-Insarova's autobiographical essays and article about Sergeĭ Lifar.́ In addition, there are three scrapbooks containing clippings and programs of Roshchina-Insarova's performances, and approximately 40 photographs of her.

The papers, which primarily concern Shmelev, consist of correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and printed materials. The correspondence includes photocopies of letters from Petr Struve to Ivan Shmelev, and of letters from Shmelev to one Aleksandr Ivanovich. Manuscripts consist of Kutyrina's memoirs and essays about Shmelev; these draw heavily on correspondence of Shmelev, Ivan Bunin, Konstantin Balḿont, and Thomas Mann. Also included are Kutyrina's memoirs about the October 1917 Revolution in Moscow. Printed materials consist of books by Kutyrina's husband, the writer Ivan Novgorod-Severskiĭ.