This digitized collection consists of several thousand pen-and-ink and watercolor designs, most in the art nouveau style, by the English artist and illustrator Pickford Waller (1872–1927). The majority are bound in 28 original sketchbooks, with 39 designs on separate sheets.

A prolific artist, Waller designed bookplates, book covers, title pages, and page borders, and produced book designs for Hans Christian Andersen, Robert Laurence Binyon, Grimms' Fairy Tales, and James Guthrie's Pear Tree Press. One sketchbook containing designs for light fixtures, curtain pulls, and other stage-related items displays Waller's fascination with floral patterns. Some designs in this collection also appear to be for wallpaper and fabrics.

Additionally, this collection features Bookplates by Pickford Waller, a rare pamphlet with 13 examples of bookplates with an introduction by W. G. Blaikie Murdoch discussing Waller's book designs.