The series consists of original correspondence from L.L. FitzGerald to Heywood, as well as research material she gathered on him, correspondence between Heywood and other scholars interested in FitzGerald's career, and Heywood's notes intended for a never-produced book on FitzGerald. Included in the series are photocopies of archival material dated 1911-1914.
Included are nine letters and four letter fragments written by the artist L.L. FitzGerald to Heywood (a total of 12 typewritten pages, including one bearing a sketch by FitzGerald, and 21 manuscript pages). The letters are love letters, but also provide details about FitzGerald's work during the period covered, as well as his ideas about his work. In 1942, FitzGerald made his first visit to British Columbia, to his daughter's home on Bowen Island, and his letters also include his first impressions of the west. Included in the series are transcripts of these letters prepared by the scholar Michael Parke-Taylor.
Also included are forty photographs organized into seven groupings which document both the artistic career of FitzGerald and his relationship with Heywood. The photographs were generally sent by FitzGerald to Heywood in conjunction with letters in which he discussed his art and life, from the late 1930s through the 1940s. The seven groups consist of: photographs of art classes at the Winnipeg School of Art; photographs of FitzGerald's apartments/studios in Winnipeg, including a self-portrait; exterior views, probably from the apartments; photographs of Irene Heywood in art class; FitzGerald painting in a prairie setting; a portrait of FitzGerald with a sculpture; and a photograph of a FitzGerald painting with notes probably by FitzGerald on the back.
The series also includes fourteen art items by FitzGerald. Eight of the items relate to the execution of his annual Christmas card works which were predominantly made using linocuts. Five of these items relate to the 1942 print entitled "View from Window with Two Jugs" and include a preliminary sketch, a transfer drawing, a print and two proof prints. Two other 1940 proof prints are entitled "Jug on Windowsill". Also included is one linoleum tile for the 1934 work entitled "Tree Trunks". The remaining six items comprise pencil drawings of figures, cloudscapes and landscapes contained within a covering folder entitled "Into the Poplar Woods", hand-lettered by FitzGerald.
