Edward Hugh Sothern (1859-1933) was a Shakespearean actor. Edward Askew Sothern (1826-1881) was Edward Hugh's father, and a comedic actor. Edward Hugh was married to Shakespearean actress Julia Marlowe (1865-1950) in 1911, and they went on to forge a successful professional partnership.

The scrapbook contains an assortment of items related to both Edward Hugh Sothern and Edward Askew Sothern; the portfolio photographs are from Julia Marlowe's collection. Newspaper clippings concern personal and professional events in Edward Askew's life, as well as controversy surrounding his death. Illustrations of people and scenes were cut from newspapers to serve as drawings studies for Edward Hugh. A few sketches are present by both men. Tintypes portray each individually, and also in a group portrait with actor friends William J. Florence, George Holland, and Henry M. Rogers. Albumen photographs depict British landscapes, farm animals, and tourist sites in Rome. Whole pages are present of three illustrated English newspapers, The Graphic and The Graphic, Paris Illustrated, from 1878 to 1879, and The Referee from 1894; also a Chinese newspaper from San Francisco, and a Turkish paper. Hotel receipts and other memorabilia are from France and Spain. Playbills from 1896 depict actors and actresses performing The Prisoner of Zenda at St. James's Theatre, London. Also included are letters to Edward Hugh, ca. 1900, from writers wanting him to read their plays.

The photograph portfolio consists of five undated studio portraits and one color sketch. The portraits are of Julia Marlowe, E.H. Sothern, his mother Frances Stewart Sothern, the Italian baritone Titta Ruffo, and a friend of Julia's named Constance. The sketch is of French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt.

Most in English; some printed material in French, Spanish, Chinese, and Turkish.