The letters here of Austen Henry Layard to Elizabeth Eastlake cover nearly four decades of friendship. Eastlake was a writer and, like Layard, had many connections in the art and literary worlds, which is reflected in this correspondence.

Layard and Eastlake had many common friends and acquaintances, including John Murray [III]. Additionally, Layard had also been friends with Charles Eastlake, the husband of Elizabeth, and it was Layard who encouraged her to write a memoir of her husband.

The letters demonstrate the strong and long lasting friendship between Layard and Eastlake. They cover various topics in their correspondence, including their respective work, common acquaintances and the activity of the National Gallery. There are some contemporary manuscript copies of some the letters placed at the end of the sequence.