The Ralph E. Shikes papers consists primarily of letters to and from Camille Pissarro, a French-Danish Impressionist painter. In addition, the papers contain Mr. Pissarro's will.

This collection also contains papers and letters from other artisits, such as Vincent Van Gogh, as well as various photographs, negatives, postcards, and a thesis written by Alexander Seltzer covering the topics of anarchism, antisemitism, the press and the Dreyfus affair.