The series consists of William Ronald's correspondence with other artists; dealers, galleries, museums and private collectors; students and educational institutions; charities and other associations; the CBC and other broadcasters; and personal friends and family. A significant amount of the business correspondence was conducted on Ronald's behalf by his wife, Helen, and there are also some personal letters written by her and to her in the files.
The series contains Ronald's correspondence with his fellow members of the Painters Eleven during the 1950s, originally filed in a binder. This correspondence includes extensive correspondence from Jock Macdonald and many letters from Jack Bush dating back to 1952. The Painters Eleven files also include letters from Alexandra Luke 1953-1956, Hortense Gordon 1954, Tom Hodgson 1955, Kazua Nakamura 1956-1957 and Harold Town 1956-1957. Other correspondents in the 1950s files include the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts 1952; Clare Bice regarding the "Young Contemporaries" Exhibition 1952; Simpson's regarding its "Abstracts at Home" show 1953; Michael Snow 1956; Av Isaacs 1956-1959; Sam Kootz 1957-1959; and Richard Baker 1959. There is also a file on the Kootz Gallery 1956-1965, and a file of the Ronalds' letters 1956-[1965] sent from the United States to Father Paul Hopkins in Toronto and returned to them after his death.
Among the later correspondents are the following: Blair Laing, Jack Bush, Jock Macdonald, Joyce Weiland 1960; Stewart Bagnani 1960-1964; Hugo McPherson 1960-1977; Robertson Galleries 1961; Av Isaacs 1961-1969; Sean O Huigin 1961-1971, 1982; Michael Snow 1963, 1984; Richard Brown Baker 1963-1965; Tess Taconis, Samuel Zacks, James Farmer 1964; David Mirvish 1964-1965; Kootz Gallery 1964-1977; May Cutler, Adrienne Clarkson, John Cage 1965; James Michener 1965-1975; Walter Reeves (father of John Reeves), Barry Lord 1966; Jerrold Morris Gallery 1966-1969; William Glenesk 1966-1984; Ingeborg de Beausacq 1966-1989; John Kennedy 1967-1972; John Reeves, Jack Chambers, Peter Stollery, Three Schools for Art Education 1968; Lorraine Monk 1968-1969; Barry Callaghan 1968-1980; Fred Lebensold 1969; Gordon Sinclair 1969-1975; Walter Redinger 1969-1976; Barbara Frum, W.H. Rockett 1972; Donald MacDonald 1973; Lawrence Bernhardt 1973-1984; Graeme Gibson 1974; Helen Lucas 1975; Philip Pocock 1975-1978; Moses Znaimer 1977; Peter Newman 1978; and Galerie Dresdnere 1984.
A few photographs can be found enclosed in correspondence. These include 4 b&w prints, 5 colour prints and 9 colour slides of photographs of paintings by William Ronald and others, and 5 colour prints of a student presentation on the subject of Ronald 1977.
Arranged chronologically. An oversize poster received from Walter Redinger has been filed in container 63.
