Hannah Ann Zell devoted her scrapbook to the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876, as well as to the Pennsylvania Museum's School of Industrial Art and the Associate Committee of Women, which primarily raised funds on behalf of the school. Her scrapbook, which consists of clippings, ephemera and occasional correspondence, attests to the civic spirit of women of the period.

The collection documents the role of the Women's Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in support of the museum, its affiliates, and the Philadelphia arts community. The records illustrate approximately one hundred and twenty five years of various events and programs. The collection consists of minute books, scrapbooks, financial records, reports, and plans of events, marketing strategies, public relations, and special projects such as publishing a cookbook.