1890 Feb 2001 L.L. Tribus.jpg

Alice Austen Correspondence with L.L. Tribus

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:36:26 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:22:10 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Correspondence with L. L. Tribus

Overview

This is a small archival collection of correspondence between Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952), a pioneering Staten Island photographer, and civil engineer L. L. Tribus. The documents were created in February 1890 and are housed in the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York. The collection consists of a single handwritten letter (dated 4 Feb 1890) and a high‑resolution photographic reproduction of that letter.

Background

Alice Austen was a prominent photographer who documented everyday life in late‑Victorian New York. L. L. Tribus, a New York‑based civil engineer, was preparing a public presentation on roads and canals. In his letter he requests Austen’s assistance by providing photographs of roads, canals, arches, and bridges to supplement his talk. The correspondence illustrates the intersection of engineering, visual culture, and social networking among Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class community at the turn of the century.

Contents

  • Letter (4 Feb 1890) – Handwritten by L. L. Tribus to “My Dear Miss Austin,” requesting photographs and offering assistance in gathering information for his presentation.
  • Photographic reproduction – A JPEG scan of the original letter, preserving its inked text, marginalia, and paper texture.
  • Metadata – Digital records include title, creator, date, subjects (correspondence, engineering, roads, canals, photography, Victorian social life), and provenance information linking the item to the Alice Austen Papers (MS1).

Scope

The collection covers a single event in February 1890, centered on a professional exchange between a photographer and an engineer in New York City and Staten Island. It does not include other letters or photographs from Austen’s broader correspondence. The materials focus on the practical use of photography in engineering presentations and reflect the social networks that supported such collaborations during the late Victorian era.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@l_l_tribus:person {full_name: "L. L. Tribus", occupation: "civil engineer", affiliation: @new_york}

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

@alice_austen_house:organization {type: "museum", location: @staten_island}

@date_1890_02_24 { }

@date_1890_02_04 { }

@date_1866 { }

@date_1952 { }

@alice_austen_tribus_correspondence:document {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with L.L. Tribus", creator: @l_l_tribus, created: @date_1890_02_24, subjects: ["Correspondence","Engineering","Roads","Canals","Photography","Victorian social life"], description: "A collection of letters between Alice Austen and L.L. Tribus discussing roads, canals, and photography."}

@letter_feb_4_1890:document {date: @date_1890_02_04, author: @l_l_tribus, recipient: @alice_austen, content: "Request for photographs of roads, canals, arches, or bridges to accompany a presentation."}

@photographs:concept {topic: ["roads","canals","arches","bridges"]}

@file_pinax -> describes -> @alice_austen_tribus_correspondence

@file_1890_feb_2001_l_l_tribus_jpg -> contains -> @letter_feb_4_1890

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @l_l_tribus {through: @alice_austen_tribus_correspondence}

@l_l_tribus -> wrote -> @letter_feb_4_1890

@letter_feb_4_1890 -> requested -> @photographs

@alice_austen -> provided -> @photographs {context: "requested in letter"}

Metadata

Files (1)

1890 Feb 2001 L.L. Tribus.jpgJPEG
3.98 MB
OCR Text

L. L. TRIBUS, C. E., WATER WORKS, DRAINAGE, ETC. 84 WARREN STREET. NEW YORK. 4 Feb 24 My Dear Miss Austin, Sam Dix told me on Saturday that you and others had been pleased to wonder what special feature I should make the subject of Thursday evening's researches. I have been in that self same condition of uncertainty myself, but have decided to take Roads and Canals for the main theme. I shall be very glad of assistance from you and others in eliciting information, and asking pertinent and even impertinent questions. If you have any photographs of famous roads, canals, arches or bridges, I wish that you would have them on hand, that the dryness of written matter may be eliminated. Also please see that a bucket of water is at hand to throw over me if I become too dry. I should have given myself the pleasure of giving this verbally but have been too pressed for time. I am Yours Very Sincerely, L. L. Tribus

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:36:26 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:19:34 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:45:39 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:22:10 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: LL_Tribus_Correspondence"

Parent

01KC28TQPGXRMM7H20G1NZNMPR

No children (leaf entity)