Bessie Strong Correspondence Collection

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:36:03 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:22:00 PM

Added description

Description

Bessie Strong Correspondence Collection (December 1890)

Overview

The Bessie Strong Correspondence Collection is a digitized set of handwritten letters written by Bessie Strong to her friend, photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen, during December 1890, with a few additional letters dated July 1890. The collection is presented as 16 JPEG scans of the original envelopes and pages, accompanied by typed transcriptions. It is part of the Alice Austen House Museum’s Austen Family Papers and is in the public domain.

Background

Bessie Strong (full name: Bessie Strong) was a close friend and social associate of Alice Austen, residing in Staten Island, New York. The letters were sent from various locations—including Staten Island, New Brunswick, Washington D.C., Cincinnati, Louisville, Brooklyn, and Wshkill‑on‑Hudson—illustrating the breadth of Strong’s social and travel network. The correspondence reflects the late‑Victorian social milieu of upper‑middle‑class families in the northeastern United States.

Contents

The collection contains 16 scanned images of letters, each dated between July 21, 1890 and December 9, 1890. Key themes include:
  • Social life: invitations to whist clubs, skating parties, and church events.
  • Travel plans: intentions to visit Washington, Cincinnati, and Louisville.
  • Photography: discussions of selling photographs, including images from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
  • Fashion and music: references to dressmakers, hats, and a Steinway piano purchase.
  • Personal matters: condolences for a family death and holiday greetings.

The accompanying transcriptions provide a readable version of the handwritten text, facilitating research on Victorian correspondence, social networks, and the early photography industry.

Scope

The collection covers a narrow temporal window (July–December 1890) and is limited to letters addressed to Alice Austen. It does not include any of Austen’s own correspondence or other family papers. The material is valuable for scholars studying Victorian social customs, the history of photography, and the personal networks of early American women photographers.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@bessie_strong_correspondence_collection:collection {title: "Bessie Strong Correspondence Collection", creator: @bessie_strong, institution: "Alice Austen House", created: @date_1890_12, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Social life","Photography","Victorian era","Family relationships","Travel","Fashion","Christmas"], description: "Letters from Bessie Strong to Alice Austen in December 1890 discussing social activities, photography, travel plans, and personal matters.", place: [@staten_island, @new_brunswick_nj, @washington_dc, @cincinnati_oh, @louisville_ky, @brooklyn_ny, @wshkill_on_hudson_ny]}

@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong"}

@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island}

@julia_t_martin:person {relationship: "close friend", location: @albany_ny}

@julie_bredt:person {}

@violet_m_e_ward:person {}

@isabella_king:person {role: "photograph buyer"}

@mr_hyde:person {}

@mrs_hyde:person {}

@mr_johnson:person {}

@dr_ingleby:person {}

@edward_w_strong:person {title: "Esq.", relation: "relative"}

@miss_e_a_austen:person {alias_of: @alice_austen}

@staten_island:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}

@new_brunswick_nj:place {state: "New Jersey", country: @united_states}

@washington_dc:place {country: @united_states}

@cincinnati_oh:place {state: "Ohio", country: @united_states}

@louisville_ky:place {state: "Kentucky", country: @united_states}

@brooklyn_ny:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}

@wshkill_on_hudson_ny:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}

@richmond_co:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}

@rosebank:place {city: "Rosebank", county: "Richmond Co.", state: "New York", country: @united_states}

@albany_ny:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}

@whist_club_meeting:event {when: @date_1890_12, location: @staten_island, organizer: @bessie_strong, participants: 8, description: "Whist Club meeting at Schenck's"} 

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_1001_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12_07}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_1002_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_1003_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_1004_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_1005_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_1006_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_4001_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12_09}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_4002_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_4003_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_4004_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_4005_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_4006_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_dec_4007_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_12}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_july_3001_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_07}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_july_3002_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_07}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1890_july_3003_bessie_strong_jpg {to: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_07}

@bessie_strong -> mentioned -> @whist_club_meeting:event {context: "letter @file_1890_dec_1004_bessie_strong_jpg"}

@bessie_strong -> discussed -> @photography:concept {context: "photography business, selling photographs, Fair images"}

@bessie_strong -> discussed -> @social_life:concept {context: "skating parties, sleigh rides, church events, whist parties"}

@bessie_strong -> discussed -> @travel:concept {context: "plans to visit Washington, Cincinnati, Louisville"}

@bessie_strong -> discussed -> @fashion:concept {context: "dressmakers, hats, evening dress, silk"}

@bessie_strong -> discussed -> @music:concept {context: "Steinway piano purchase"}

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:36:03 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:21:28 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:45:29 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:22:00 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Bessie_Strong_Correspondence"

Additional Components (16)

Click to expand and load individual components

1890 Dec 1001 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 1002 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 1003 Bessie strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 1004 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 1005 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 1006 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 4001 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 4002 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 4003 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 4004 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 4005 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 4006 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 Dec 4007 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 July 3001 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 July 3002 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json
1890 July 3003 Bessie Strong.jpg.ref.json

Parent

01KC28TQPGXRMM7H20G1NZNMPR

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