Arranged in five subseries; legal size material:
Subseries A: Elizabeth Robins to Florence Bell, 1892 - 1930
Subseries B: Florence Bell to Elizabeth Robins, 1891 - 1930
Subseries C: General Correspondence, 1891-1929
Subseries D: Literary Productions
Subseries E: Printed Materials

Florence Eveleen Eleanor (Olliffe) Bell (1851 - 1930), a playwright and author, met Elizabeth Robins around 1891 while Robins was active in the British theater. Bell and Robins formed a close friendship which remained strong and constant until Bell's death in 1930. In her will, Florence Bell stipulated that all of Elizabeth Robins's letters should be returned to her.

In 1876 Florence Bell married Hugh Bell (1844-1931) and became the stepmother of Gertrude (1868 - 1926) and Maurice (b. 1871). Between the years 1878 and 1881, she bore three children: Hugo, Elsa, and Molly.

In 1904 Florence Bell gained the title of Lady when her husband's father, Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, died. Hugh Bell inherited Bell Brothers, an amalgamation of mines, colleries and ironworks which Sir Lowthian had founded with his brothers in 1852. [See Subseries E: Printed Materials.]

Bell traveled widely, but spent most of her married life in one of the family's three main residences: Rounton Grange, Mount Grace Priory (both in Yorkshire) and 95 Sloane Street, London. As her friendship with Elizabeth Robins grew, Bell drew Robins into the family circle at Rounton, which allowed Robins to cultivate close friendships with Hugh Bell as well as with the Bell children.

The letters sent by Robins to Bell comprise the majority of this series and are personal in nature. The correspondence concerns domestic problems; news of friends; the illnesses which Robins suffered throughout her life; her travels in Europe and North America, including her journey to Alaska in 1900 which inspired the novel The Magnetic North (1904), and her frequent visits to her brother Raymond at his home, Chinsegut, in Florida; family members; Robins's relationships with David Scott, Octavia Wilberforce and Marjorie Hubert, all of whom lived at her Sussex County home, Backsettown. The personal quality of this correspondence offers a special insight into Robins's development throughout her middle years.

Bell and Robins also wrote one another about their mutual literary and theatrical careers. While Bell never appeared on the stage, she was active in writing plays for adults and children, as well as adapting novels to the stage. She also collaborated with Robins on the play Alan's Wife, which was published in 1893 with an introduction by William Archer.

Robins and Bell often acted as editors of each other's literary work. They exchanged criticism, advice and encouragement. The letters give constant evidence of this emotional and professional support. Subseries D contains some of Bell's works (which run the gamut from children's books to novels; see Appendix III), including a complete four act play and a preliminary sketch for a collaborative dramatization with Robins of Rossetti's ballad, "Sister Helen"

The early correspondence during the 1890's describes Robins's travels throughout England as she appeared in different theaters. She wrote about her fellow actors, the plays in which she performed and her conflicts with actor-managers. It is also at this time that she met George Bernard Shaw (GBS or GS), Henry James (HJ), and the journalist/author William Archer (WA).

Bell and Robins wrote frequently on political and economic concerns of the day, and their commentaries are of special interest. For instance, they wrote of international relations prior to and during World War I; the hardships faced by the British during the War; the formation of the League of Nations; and the general strikes which occurred in England during the 1920's. Noticeably absent from the correspondence is commentary on Robins's involvement in the suffrage movement.

Series Five also includes Florence Bell's correspondence with others, including her husband and children. Many of these letters are from mutual friends of she and Elizabeth Robins, and their correspondence can also be found in Series Two: General Correspondence. Most notable are the letters from 1900 when Bell relayed messages from Robins's Seattle sickbed to her various English acquaintances.

[Some photographs have been moved to Series Nine: Photographic Materials.]