This series contains the working papers for an unpublished catalog of the textile collection. Arranged by topic, the records focus on Egyptian and Syrian textiles. The only records included for volume II are photographs of textiles. These include textiles from Spain and Italy, as well as European medieval and renaissance embroideries.

A review of the correspondence of Dorothy Shepherd revealed that some of the letters were filed alphabetically by correspondent or institution, and a portion by country of origin. In order to maintain a consistent scheme, all correspondence was arranged alphabetically by correspondent or institution. Included is correspondence with French & Company concerning the restoration of the Dido and Aeneas tapestries. The correspondence of Anne Wardwell is divided into three sections: alphabetical correspondence, correspondence with dealers, and interdepartmental correspondence. This reflects the original organization of the records.

The subject files are those primarily created by Anne Wardwell and relate to exhibitions, budgets, objects, and other topics of importance to the maintenance of collections and the operation of the textile department.

A wide variety of textile research materials can be found in this series. Arranged by topic, the curators collected photographs and other illustrations of textiles from around the world that related to their research interests and CMA collections. They also collected translations and other research materials that were included in the binders assembled for each topic. However, as there is very little explanatory material, it is not always possible to determine the relationships between illustrations. Also, papers of varying sizes can be found in the folders of binders that have been unbound for preservation purposes. Extreme care is required in using this series of records so as not to disturb the organization, and therefore the relationships, between textile examples. Index cards for a dye analysis study conducted by Dorothy Shepherd includes fiber samples stapled onto the cards. Other index cards include small black and white illustrations.