Collection of more than 100 printed poems, postcards, photographs, and other ephemera with appeals to the public by people who are blind, deaf, or with other physical disabilities, offered in exchange for a small donation. The initial collection and later additions were purchased from antiquarian bookseller Marc Selvaggio, who acquired some of the materials directly from their creators or sellers. The collection materials were created and sold from the mid-19th century through the 21st century, primarily in the United States. Some of the materials were produced in Europe, including Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Spain.

Mendicant literature and ephemera include books, pamphlets, single-sheet poems, illustrated postcards, or other printed or handcrafted materials sold by people with disabilities or those living in poverty in order to make a living. The materials often tell the life stories of the creators or highlight their current struggles and successes. In some cases the individuals were born with a disability, while in other cases their disabilities resulted from accidents or occurred while on active duty in the Armed Forces. As the materials are offered in exchange for a small donation, the creators are not "begging" for money in a literal sense but offering something of value in exchange for financial assistance. Most of the items in this collection were produced and sold before the creation of the Social Security Administration in the United States and universal health care in Europe, at a time when no formal social safety net existed to provide income for individuals who could not work due to disability or injury. Some of the collection items represent original works while others are reprints of anonymous verses repurposed as appeals for assistance. Many of the contemporary 21st-century materials in the collection reflect homelessness or poverty rather than physical disability.

As most of the creators have highlighted their particular disability, much of the collection is divided into appeals by type of disability, including blindness, deafness, and other physical disabilities. Also included are materials created by or on behalf of American soldiers who were injured while serving in World War I or World War II and advertisements for people with disabilities who performed in sideshows.

The attached appendix includes 84 monographs, pieces of sheet music, and periodicals that formed part of the original collection purchased from Marc Selvaggio, and are cataloged separately under their own call numbers. See the Newberry's online catalog for access.

Harvard University's Countway Library of Medicine holds a similar collection of American mendicant ephemera also purchased from Marc Selvaggio.