Austen Family Papers (MS1) - Alice Austen Correspondence and Related Materials, 1883-1898

PI

Version: 18 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:57:40 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 6:29:41 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Envelope Collection (1898)

Overview

The Alice Austen Envelope Collection (1898) is a digitized set of postal envelopes associated with the correspondence of pioneering Staten Island photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952). The collection consists of high‑resolution JPEG scans of envelope fronts and backs, accompanied by machine‑readable metadata and OCR‑derived text. All envelopes are dated to 1898, though postmarks range from local Rosebank and Asbury Park to references to the Panama Canal. The items are held in the Alice Austen House Museum and are released into the public domain.

Background

Alice Austen’s letters were sent and received from her Rosebank home, a hub of late‑Victorian social life among Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class families. The museum’s archival program preserved the physical envelopes to document postal practices, social networks, and the material culture of the era. The collection reflects the broader Austen Family Papers (MS1), which chronicle Austen’s personal, professional, and social world.

Contents

The collection contains three primary envelope units, each paired with metadata fields that record postmark location, date, time, recipient, sender, and ancillary notes.
  • Envelope 1898‑07‑04 004 (Back) – Postmarked “ROSEBANK JULY 1948,” with a “50+” note and numerical identifiers.
  • Envelope 1898‑09‑12 014 (Front) – Postmarked “A.SBURY PARK N.J.” on 12 Sep 1898, addressed to Miss Alice Austen of Rosebank, with sender and recipient both listed as Alice Austen.
  • Envelope 1898‑09‑12 014 (Back) – Postmarked “NY” on 2 Sep 1898, noting “PANAMA CANAL” and a 1:30 PM timestamp.

    • Each envelope image is accompanied by an OCR text file that captures the handwritten addresses and postmark details, enabling keyword searches and content analysis.

    Scope

    The collection covers envelopes from the year 1898, with postmark dates occasionally extending to 1948 due to later processing or re‑postmarking. Geographic coverage includes Rosebank (Staten Island), Asbury Park (NJ), and New York City, with a brief international reference to the Panama Canal. Thematically, the collection focuses on personal correspondence, postal history, and Victorian social life. It does not include the letters themselves or any other epistolary materials; its scope is limited to the physical envelopes and their associated metadata.

    Raw Cheimarros Data

    @file_pinax:file {title: "pinax.json", type: "metadata"}  

@file_pinax -> created by -> [@alice_austen, @julia_t_martin, @ed_van_rensselaer, @trude_eccleston, @charles_jewett_collins, @isabella_king, @mr_white, @b_w_osgood, @a_w_martin, @violet_m_e_ward, @julie_bredt]  

@file_pinax -> language -> "en"  

@file_pinax -> rights -> "Public Domain"  

@file_pinax -> date_range -> {start: @date_1883, end: @date_1898}  

@file_pinax -> mentions_place -> [@staten_island, @new_york_city, @brooklyn, @new_brunswick, @newburgh, @bronxville, @newark_nj, @carnegie_hall, @worlds_columbian_exposition_1893:event, @albany, @santa_barbara, @los_angeles, @casco_bay, @madison_avenue_44th, @bolton_landing, @pensacola]  

@file_pinax -> subject -> [@correspondence:concept, @photography_business:concept, @victorian_social_life:concept, @music:concept, @health:concept, @spiritualism:concept, @appendicitis:event]  

@file_pinax -> documents -> @austen_family_papers  

@file_pinax -> related_to -> @collection_1898:document  

@correspondence:concept {description: "Exchange of letters and messages"}  

@photography_business:concept {description: "Commercial aspects of photography"}  

@victorian_social_life:concept {description: "Social customs and activities in the Victorian era"}  

@music:concept {description: "Musical activities and interests"}  

@health:concept {description: "Health-related matters"}  

@spiritualism:concept {description: "Belief in communication with spirits"}  

# SYNTHESIS: CONNECTING CREATORS ACROSS SUBDIRECTORIES

@alice_austen -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@julia_t_martin -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@ed_van_rensselaer -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@trude_eccleston -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@charles_jewett_collins -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@isabella_king -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@mr_white -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@b_w_osgood -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@a_w_martin -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@violet_m_e_ward -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

@julie_bredt -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]  

# SYNTHESIS: THEMATIC LINKAGE THROUGH FILE PINAX

@file_pinax -> covers_theme -> [@social_life, @photography_business, @family_matters, @music, @health, @spiritualism, @appendicitis:event]  

@file_pinax -> links_event -> @fair_1893:event  

@file_pinax -> links_event -> @julia_martin_appendicitis:event

    Metadata

    Title
    Austen Family Papers (MS1) - Alice Austen Correspondence and Related Materials, 1883-1898
    Type
    Collection
    Creator
    Alice AustenDaisyStrong, Elizabeth B.V.Trude (correspondent)Alice S. WheelockCaroline M. SweetMalvina MartinElizabeth E. JenkinsE.D. Van DusenlanM.R. WhiteOsgood, C.W.Frederick Frelinghuysen MercerAlys Louise MercerEaston M. Mahon DavellJulia T. MartinEleanor ColemanCharles Jewett CollinsMrs. Henry Loesey GravesMr. J. Lawrence McKeeverB.W. OsgoodA. H. PrinceE.D. Van RensselaerElisabeth B. StrongTrude EcclestonMR WhiteA.W. MartinIsabella KingBessie StrongViolet M.E. WardJulie BredtWalton Martin
    Institution
    Alice Austen House
    Created
    1883-1898
    Language
    en
    Subjects
    Correspondence, Personal letters, Calling cards, Photography, Victorian social life, Health, Medical treatment, Family, Friendship, Travel, Real estate, Weddings, Social events, Photography business, Music, Envelopes, Postmarks, Personal relationships, Family matters, Victorian-era social customs, Upper-middle-class life, Staten Island history, Health updates, Illness, Recovery, Sympathy letters, Spiritualism, Wedding invitations, Postal history, World's Columbian Exposition, Appendicitis
    Rights
    Public Domain
    Place
    Staten Island, NY, New York, NY, Brooklyn, NY, New Brunswick, NJ, New York City, NY, Washington, DC, Bostonville, Staten Island, NY, Clifton, Staten Island, NY, Rosebank, Staten Island, New York, 63 East Fifty-sixth Street, New York, Newburgh, NY, Bronxville, NY, New Brighton, Staten Island, NY, Newark, New Jersey, Carnegie Hall, Chicago, IL (World's Columbian Exposition), Albany, New York, Santa Barbara, California, Los Angeles, California, Casco Bay, Maine, Madison Avenue & 44th Street, New York City, Bolton Landing, New York, Pensacola, FL, Fishkill, Mattawan, Alaska, Asbury Park, NJ, Juneau, Alaska
    Source
    PINAX

    Version History (10 versions)

    • ✓ v18 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:57:40 PM
      "Added description"
    • v17 · 12/9/2025, 9:26:50 PM · View this version
      "Added knowledge graph extraction"
    • v16 · 12/9/2025, 8:08:11 PM · View this version
      "Added PINAX metadata"
    • v15 · 12/9/2025, 7:30:11 PM · View this version
      "Split into 3 alphabetical chunks"
    • v14 · 12/9/2025, 7:30:10 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC29FCWVTC8T64KJNWYHBVA4"
    • v13 · 12/9/2025, 7:30:07 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC29FACWR7P2XQ81QA18GXKR"
    • v12 · 12/9/2025, 7:30:04 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC29F6KJQSY6DX0R6M882G6K"
    • v11 · 12/9/2025, 7:18:18 PM · View this version
      "Added OCR to 6 files"
    • v10 · 12/9/2025, 7:17:24 PM · View this version
      "Added OCR to 10 files"
    • v9 · 12/9/2025, 7:17:15 PM · View this version
      "Added OCR to 10 files"

    More versions available (pagination not yet implemented)

    Additional Components

    chunking-description.txt
    # Alphabetical Chunking

Directory split into 3 alphabetical chunks for processing.

Total files: 85
Files per chunk: up to 40

## Organization Strategy

Organize by correspondent. Create groups for each primary correspondent found in the letters (e.g. Daisy, Elizabeth Strong, Julia Martin, Eleanor Coleman, etc.). Put unidentified or miscellaneous correspondence in 'Other Correspondence'. Maintain the existing year-based folder structure as the primary container.

    Parent

    ↑ 01KC25ZJ5BGKTRSFQCX4KBYHJK

    Children (3)