The Zella White Stewart papers date from 1917 to 1927 and measure 3.5 linear inches. The papers are arranged in two series: Biographical materials and Correspondence. The collection would be of use to anyone interested in the study of allergies in the early twentieth century, the professional and domestic life of a female physician, or the biography of Zella White Stewart.

The Biographical materials series (1943 and undated) consists of one folder containing copies of two obituaries and a family tree.

The Correspondence series (1917-1927 and undated) comprises the rest of this collection. Zella White Stewart's papers contain a mix of professional and personal correspondence. Following the original order of Stewart's files, the series is arranged alphabetically by the writer's name or by the name of the organization they represent. Within an alphabetical grouping, letters are filed chronologically. When a series of letters by the same writer exists, they have been grouped together. Some letters are accompanied by a carbon copy of Stewart's reply.

Stewart's professional papers include correspondence with other doctors in the field of allergy research, business transactions with pharmaceutical companies, correspondence with patients, and a series of letters and bills connected to a dispute with a collection agency hired byS tewart.

Stewart's correspondence also offers insight into the status of women professionals. In fact, she specifically documents her attitude towards combining career and family in a letter written in response to a survey by The Woman Citizen. Both the original query and a rough draft of Stewart's response are located in the W-Z folder.

Stewart's personal letters range in content. Subjects covered include the failing health of her mother and an arrangement for two of her nieces to live with her and attend the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa). There are also a number of letters relating to other issues including the establishment of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house, hiring domestic help, the management of apartments rented from the Stewarts and scattered references to the League of Women Voters.

A Biographical Portrait of Zella White Stewart, M.D., written by her husband George Walter Stewart, is shelved in the printed works collection of the Iowa Women's Archives.