Personal correspondence volume consists of letters chiefly to his mother and friends as well as his education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Medical illustrations volume depicts tissues, muscles, bones, and aspects of various anatomical tracts and systems produced for an unknown course in 1913.

Illustrations, photographs, negatives, slides, and correspondence document the artistic career of Howard Bartner, a NIH medical illustrator. The bulk of the collection includes pen and ink sketches, paintings, line drawings, and chalk illustrations.