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.

Julius Zieget was Secretary of the Corporation from 1928 to 1963, and was appointed Treasurer in 1934. Zieget's files reflect his varied activities, and comprise transactions with city, state, and private foundations for support, budget and funding reports, gift acknowledgements, exhibition records, and extensive bequest files.