Austen Family Papers (MS1) - Alice Austen Correspondence Collection, 1890

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Version: 12 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:54:40 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:18:54 PM

Added description

Description

Austen Family Papers (MS1) – Alice Austen Correspondence Collection, 1890

Overview

This digitized collection contains personal correspondence and related ephemera from the year 1890 that were part of the Austen Family Papers housed at the Alice Austen House Museum. Materials are presented as high‑resolution JPEG scans of original envelopes, letters, calling cards, and negative sleeves, accompanied by typed transcriptions in plain text. The collection is organized by sender and date, reflecting the social network of Alice Austen and her contemporaries across the New York metropolitan area and beyond.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer whose practice centered on portraiture and documentary work in late‑Victorian New York. The 1890 correspondence was produced by Austen’s friends and family—Bessie Strong, Alice Cornell Austen, Trudie Eccleston, Maria Pratt (Maria Bredt), Julia F. Bredt, George Rodney Booth, and Julia T. Martin—who were members of the upper‑middle‑class Staten Island social circle. The letters were collected by the Alice Austen House and digitized to support scholarly research on Victorian social networks, photography, and regional travel.

Contents

The collection includes:
  • Personal letters (handwritten and typed transcriptions) covering topics such as social gatherings, travel itineraries, family matters, and photography business.
  • Calling cards that document Victorian‑era social invitations.
  • Negative sleeves and other photography‑related artifacts that illustrate Austen’s commercial activities.
Key themes recur throughout the letters: social life (tea parties, whist gatherings, skating parties), travel (journeys to Connecticut, Ohio, New England, and Utah), military life (references to Fort Douglas), and photography (sales of images from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition). The correspondence also references notable locations—Staten Island, New London, Kent, Ironton, Norwich, New Brunswick, Hamilton, Fort Douglas, Clifton, Troy, Albany, Detroit, and New York City.

Scope

The collection covers the calendar year 1890 and documents personal correspondence rather than formal business records. It reflects the experiences of a Victorian‑era woman and her social network across the northeastern United States and the western frontier. The materials are in English, public‑domain, and are available for research through the Alice Austen House Museum’s digital archive.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@austen_family_papers:collection {title: "Austen Family Papers (MS1) - Alice Austen Correspondence Collection, 1890", creator: [@alice_austen, @bessie_strong, @alice_cornell_austen, @trudie_eccleston, @maria_pratt, @julia_f_bredt, @george_rodney_booth, @julia_t_martin], institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1890, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Social life","Victorian era","Photography","Family relationships","Travel","Military life","Friendship","Upper-middle-class families","Staten Island"], description: "A collection of personal correspondence and related materials from the Austen Family Papers, spanning 1890. Includes letters from various correspondents to Alice Austen, documenting social activities, personal relationships, and aspects of Victorian-era life in Staten Island and beyond.", places: [@staten_island, @new_london, @kent, @ironton, @norwich, @new_brunswick_nj, @hamilton_nj, @fort_douglas, @clifton, @troy_new_york, @albany_ny, @detroit, @new_york_city] }

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @austen_family_papers

@alice_austen -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@bessie_strong -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@alice_cornell_austen -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@trudie_eccleston -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@maria_pratt -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@julia_f_bredt -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@george_rodney_booth -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@julia_t_martin -> contributed to -> @austen_family_papers

@worlds_columbian_exposition_1893:event -> mentioned in -> @austen_family_papers

@victorian_social_life:concept -> featured in -> @austen_family_papers

@family_matters:concept -> featured in -> @austen_family_papers

@photography_business:concept -> featured in -> @austen_family_papers

@yale_harvard_regatta:event -> mentioned in -> @austen_family_papers

Metadata

Title
Austen Family Papers (MS1) - Alice Austen Correspondence Collection, 1890
Type
Collection
Creator
Alice AustenBessie StrongAlice Cornell AustenTrudie EcclestonMaria PrattJulia F. BredtGeorge Rodney BoothJulia T. Martin
Institution
Alice Austen House
Created
1890
Language
en
Subjects
Correspondence, Personal letters, Social life, Victorian era, Photography, Family relationships, Travel, Military life, Friendship, Upper-middle-class families, Staten Island
Rights
Public Domain
Place
Staten Island, NY, New London, CT, Kent, CT, Ironton, OH, Norwich, CT, New Brunswick, NJ, Hamilton, NJ, Fort Douglas, Clifton, Staten Island, Troy, New York, Albany, NY, Detroit, MI, New York, NY
Source
PINAX

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v12 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:54:40 PM
    "Added description"
  • v11 · 12/9/2025, 9:13:47 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v10 · 12/9/2025, 7:59:02 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v9 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:30 PM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 7 groups"
  • v8 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:29 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC294ZV78K4BR6EJS4AGQAQH"
  • v7 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:27 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC294YAK96P86N4Q6JGPA2KK"
  • v6 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:26 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC294WQS12JV4JGMF13RD2TD"
  • v5 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:24 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC294V3QCVFRKPNSX9KP70H7"
  • v4 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:22 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC294SH4E5DGYSD8VT06E8RN"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:21 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC294QY506JD5ZWWEB8DYGZ4"

More versions available (pagination not yet implemented)

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were organized primarily by correspondent, creating distinct groups for each individual who wrote to Alice Austen or her family. This approach maintains consistency with the collection's personal correspondence focus and allows researchers to easily track relationships and communication patterns. Each group contains complete correspondence threads where possible, with envelope files included with their related letters. The organization reveals Alice's wide social network and the variety of topics discussed in late Victorian correspondence.

## Groups Created

- **Bessie_Strong_Correspondence**: Letters from Bessie Strong to Alice Austen, discussing social activities, travel, and personal updates
- **Alice_Cornell_Austen_Correspondence**: Letters to Alice Cornell Austen (likely Alice's mother or aunt) containing family matters and personal updates
- **Trudie_Eccleston_Correspondence**: Vivid letters from Trudie Eccleston describing military social life, flirtations, and outdoor activities
- **Maria_Bredt_Correspondence**: Letters from Maria Bredt discussing social events and personal matters
- **Julia_F_Bredt_Correspondence**: Letters from Julia F. Bredt containing personal updates and social commentary
- **George_Rodney_Booth_Correspondence**: Letters from George Rodney Booth with legal and personal commentary
- **Julia_Martin_Correspondence**: Letters from Julia Martin discussing photography and social visits

Parent

↑ 01KC2612RZK08FQGTK4ZGS8THX

Children (7)