Matilda Baker of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, kept this diary between May 1857 and March 1858, recording information about social visits, her work habits, and events taking place in Philadelphia. She also recorded information about railroad shares, bonds, and other financial investments held by herself and other women from 1854 to 1880.

This journal belonged to Mary A. H. Hoskins of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and contains accounts of her domestic life during the year 1857. The daily entries, mostly concerning social activities and family matters, give insight into the everyday life of a young, upper middle class woman in mid-nineteenth century Philadelphia.