These records consist primarily of meeting minutes of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, from the time of the institution's incorporation to the 1990s. Reports presented at Trustee meetings, resolutions and minutes of meetings of a few of the earliest Standing Committees are also included. Gifts, loans, membership and finances are the most frequently discussed topics.

Development and Membership Department Records mostly document the operation of the Development Office under its two Assistant Directors Philip Thompson and Noble Smith.