Letters sent from Mary Shadwell to Ida Farrer in the 1860s. Mary and Ida were childhood friends. All but four of the 49 letters were sent from Mary, the remainder were sent by Mary's mother, Charlotte to Ida. Only one letter is dated (5 November 1862) and dates for a handful of others can be inferred from events and people mentioned, e.g. reference to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition of 1869 and to Ida's youngest brother Noel (born in 1867) and the death of Ida's mother in 1870. The content of the letters includes invitations and acceptances to meet and play with their dolls, descriptions of outfits for the dolls, and accounts of visits to family and various public buildings and events.