The Robert S. Osgood papers include correspondence and records from his time spent with the Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) as the director of a Les Foyers du Soldat in France. The Osgood Papers contain more than 60 letters that Osgood wrote to his wife, Anna during his time in Europe, as well as 10 letters and 16 post cards that he received from French soldiers and colleagues from December 6 1917 to July 26 1919. Among Osgood's French correspondents were Louis Girard, Gaston Degy, Edgar Monod (a pastor), Jeanne Grandperrin, Mathilde Mounet, Georges-Elisée Grandperrin, and Louis Fouqeray.

The Y.M.C.A.and Les Foyers du Soldat records include doodles and caricatures of soldiers, a poster for an American music concert and memorandum from the Y.M.C.A. headquarters. Also included are pamphlets, some of which were published by the Y.M.C.A and Les Foyers du Soldat, with titles such as "Mother's Day 1918," "Experiences in a Camp Canteen," "Greetings to American Soldiers in Italy," and "Gardens of the Tuileries: Grand Open Air Festival." This series also contains a speech Osgood gave at the Reformed Church of France, and bullets he collected during the war.

The photograph series contains portraits from the Osgood family, primarily in Iowa, Massachusetts and Washington from the late 19th century. There are also some photographs from Robert Osgood's participation in athletics at Iowa College in the early 1890s. Also included are small photographs that Osgood took and received during his time abroad in World War One. These photographs feature life in the Y.M.C.A-Les Foyers du Soldat camp in Saint-Quen, France, and people, landscapes, and buildings from around France and Europe.