1885_8-22-Aug 5001-trude copy.jpg

Alice Austen Envelopes Collection

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:34:50 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:21:35 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Envelopes Collection (1885)

Overview

This digital collection contains five high‑resolution JPG scans of envelopes addressed to Elizabeth Alice Austen in August 1885. The images capture the physical envelopes, their stamps, postmarks, and handwritten addresses, providing a snapshot of Victorian‑era postal practices and the social network surrounding a prominent Staten Island family.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer from Staten Island, whose work and personal papers are preserved at the Alice Austen House Museum. The envelopes were collected by Austen herself and are now part of the museum’s archival holdings. They illustrate the everyday correspondence that accompanied her photographic career and social life in the late 19th century.

Contents

  • Envelope 1885‑08‑22 – From Stapleton Post Office, Staten Island, NY.
  • Envelope 1885‑08‑25 – From Stapleton Post Office, Staten Island, NY.
  • Envelope 1885‑08‑28 – From Clifton, Staten Island, NY.
  • Envelope 1885‑08‑08 – From Richmond County, Staten Island, NY.
  • Envelope 1885‑Aug – From Mapleton, Staten Island, NY.

Each scan includes OCR‑extracted text that confirms the recipient (“Miss Alice Austen” or variants) and the sender’s address. The collection also documents the postmarks and stamps used, offering insight into postal routes and the economic aspects of correspondence at the time.

Scope

The collection covers a single month in 1885, focusing on the postal artifacts of the Victorian era in Staten Island, New York. It is limited to envelopes addressed to Alice Austen and does not include the letters themselves. The material is valuable for researchers interested in 19th‑century social networks, postal history, and the daily life of a pioneering photographer’s household.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}

@alice_austen_house:organization {name: "Alice Austen House Museum", location: @staten_island, type: "museum"}

@alice_austen_envelopes_collection:document {title: "Alice Austen Envelopes Collection", creator: @alice_austen, institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1885, description: "Collection of envelopes addressed to Alice Austen from various correspondents in 1885, providing insight into her social network and postal history of the period."}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen_envelopes_collection

@stapleton_po:place {address: "Stapleton Post Office", borough: @staten_island, county: @richmond_county, state: @new_york}

@richmond_county:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@mapleton:place {borough: @staten_island, county: @richmond_county, state: @new_york}

@clifton:place {borough: @staten_island, county: @richmond_county, state: @new_york}

@envelope_1885_08_22:document {type: "envelope", date: @date_1885_08_22, recipient: @alice_austen, sender_address: @stapleton_po} 

@file_1885_8_22_aug_5001_trude_copy_jpg -> represents -> @envelope_1885_08_22

@envelope_1885_08_25:document {type: "envelope", date: @date_1885_08_25, recipient: @alice_austen, sender_address: @stapleton_po}

@file_1885_8_25_aug_7001_copy_jpg -> represents -> @envelope_1885_08_25

@envelope_1885_08_28:document {type: "envelope", date: @date_1885_08_28, recipient: @alice_austen, sender_address: @clifton}

@file_1885_8_28_aug_6001_copy_jpg -> represents -> @envelope_1885_08_28

@envelope_1885_08_08:document {type: "envelope", date: @date_1885_08_08, recipient: @alice_austen, sender_address: @richmond_county}

@file_1885_8_8_aug_4007_hartwell_copy_jpg -> represents -> @envelope_1885_08_08

@envelope_1885_aug:document {type: "envelope", date: @date_1885, recipient: @alice_austen, sender_address: @mapleton}

@file_1885_8_aug_3001_bredt_copy_jpg -> represents -> @envelope_1885_aug

@julia_t_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", relationship: "close friend", location: @albany}

@julie_bredt:person {full_name: "Julie Bredt", relationship: "correspondent"}

@violet_m_e_ward:person {full_name: "Violet M.E. Ward", relationship: "correspondent"}

@isabella_king:person {full_name: "Isabella King", relationship: "photograph buyer"}

@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong", relationship: "correspondent"}

@albany:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

Metadata

Title
Alice Austen Envelopes Collection
Type
Collection
Creator
Alice Austen
Institution
Alice Austen House
Created
1885
Language
en
Subjects
Correspondence, Envelopes, Postal History, Victorian Era, Staten Island
Place
Staten Island, New York, Richmond County, Mapleton
Source
PINAX

Files (5)

1885_8-22-Aug 5001-trude copy.jpgJPEG
408.02 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice Austen Stapleton P.O. Hatus Island N.Y.

1885_8-25-Aug 7001 copy.jpgJPEG
568.19 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice Austen Stapleton P.O. Staten Island N.Y.

1885_8-28-Aug 6001 copy.jpgJPEG
557.69 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice E. Austin Clifton Staten Island New York

1885_8-8-Aug 4007-hartwell copy.jpgJPEG
397.9 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice Huston Stapleton P.C. Richmond Co. Staten Island L.I. AUG. 11 AM 1885 N.Y.

1885_8-Aug 3001-bredt copy.jpgJPEG
344.59 KB
OCR Text

Mr. K. Hudson, Mapleton, Richmond Co., Post Office

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:34:50 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:15:23 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:44:13 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:21:35 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Envelopes"

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