1888_4-11-April 3002-hamilton copy.jpg

Alice Austen Club-Related Correspondence Collection

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:34:53 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:22:12 PM

Added description

Description

Club‑Related Correspondence of Alice Austen (1888)

Overview

This digital collection comprises scanned images of handwritten letters and envelopes exchanged in 1888 between Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) and members of several Staten Island social and sporting clubs. The material is presented as JPEG files with accompanying OCR‑derived text. The documents cover the period from April 11 to July 11, 1888, and illustrate Austen’s roles as club director, her participation in yachting, and her interactions with the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club.

Background

The collection is part of the Alice Austen House archival holdings, which document the life and work of the pioneering photographer. The correspondents are primarily Marie Alice Hamilton, a friend and organizer of the Ladies’ Club, and Esther Lester, a yacht enthusiast and club member. The letters reflect the social milieu of late‑Victorian Staten Island, where women’s clubs, sporting societies, and yachting societies were prominent venues for networking and leisure.

Contents

  • Letters from Marie Alice Hamilton: An invitation to serve as Director of the Ladies’ Club (April 11, 1888) and a follow‑up request for confirmation (April 11, 1888).
  • Letters from Esther Lester: An invitation to join the Yacht Medusa outing (May 6, 1888) and a detailed note about dues, tickets, and the Lawn Club (May 7, 1888).
  • Envelope from the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club (July 11, 1888).
  • OCR‑extracted text for each scanned image, providing a machine‑readable version of the handwritten content.

All documents are in English and originate from Staten Island, Kent Brighton, and Post Jefferson.

Scope

The collection is narrowly focused on club‑related correspondence from a single year (1888). It does not include Austen’s photographic work, personal diaries, or other aspects of her life. The material offers insight into her civic engagement, social networks, and the organizational structures of women’s and sporting clubs in late‑19th‑century New York.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@marie_alice_hamilton:person {full_name: "Marie Alice Hamilton"}

@esther_lester:person {full_name: "Esther Lester"}

@ladies_club:organization {type: "social club"}

@si_cricket_baseball_club:organization {type: "sports club", location: @staten_island}

@lawn_club:organization {type: "social club"}

@yacht_medusa:object {type: "yacht"}

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

@kent_brighton:place {city: "Kent Brighton", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@post_jefferson:place {city: "Post Jefferson", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@ladies_club_board_meeting_1888_04_09:event {when: @date_1888_04_09, where: @ladies_club}

@letter_ladies_club_invitation:document {sender: @marie_alice_hamilton, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1888_04_11, subject: "Director appointment", content: "Proposed & accepted as Director of the Ladies' Club"}

@letter_yacht_medusa:document {sender: @esther_lester, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1888_05_06, subject: "Yacht Medusa invitation", content: "Invitation to join yacht outing, dues payment"}

@envelope_cricket_baseball_club:document {sender: unknown, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1888_07_11, subject: "Cricket and Baseball Club correspondence"}

@file_pinax:document {title: "Alice Austen Club-Related Correspondence Collection", creator: [@marie_alice_hamilton, @esther_lester], institution: "Alice Austen House", created_range: {start: @date_1888_04_11, end: @date_1888_05_07}, subjects: ["Ladies' Club","Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club","Social clubs","Invitations","Club membership","Yachting"], place: [@staten_island, @kent_brighton, @post_jefferson]}


@ladies_club -> appointed -> @alice_austen {role: "Director", date: @date_1888_04_11}

@ladies_club -> sent -> @letter_ladies_club_invitation

@si_cricket_baseball_club -> sent -> @envelope_cricket_baseball_club

@alice_austen -> member of -> @ladies_club {role: "Director"}

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @marie_alice_hamilton {via: @letter_ladies_club_invitation, date: @date_1888_04_11}

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @esther_lester {via: @letter_yacht_medusa, date: @date_1888_05_06}

@esther_lester -> mentioned -> @yacht_medusa {in: @letter_yacht_medusa}

@esther_lester -> requested -> @lawn_club {payment: "dues and money for tickets", date: @date_1888_05_06}

Metadata

Files (5)

1888_4-11-April 3002-hamilton copy.jpgJPEG
665.11 KB
OCR Text

My dear Miss Austen, At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Ladies' Club held Sunday April 9th, your name was proposed & accepted as Director of the Ladies Club. It will give the club great pleasure if you will accept the nomination to serve on the regular club ticket. The general election comes

1888_4-11-April 3003-hamilton copy.jpgJPEG
578.62 KB
OCR Text

Be in about two weeks. Will you kindly signify to me your intention as to the acceptance of the invitation. A speedy reply will greatly oblige. I am truly, Marie Alice Hamilton Mass. April 11th: Kent Brighton

1888_5-7-May 4002-Edward Chester Center.jpgJPEG
1.31 MB
OCR Text

On Board. Yacht Medusa My dear Alice, Many thanks for your kind invitation for Sunday and you may rest assured it would give me the greatest pleasure to see you but unfortunate circumstances find me high and dry.

1888_5-7-May 4003 Edward Chester Center.jpgJPEG
1.54 MB
OCR Text

on the way at Post Jefferson. I wish we are having good work done on the boat we shall not leave here until a week so and then shall probably go East for about 2 weeks. I wish you would tell the treasurer of the Lawn Club you're not in town when there's talk to come for a tea or something and I will forward my dues and money for tickets as soon as I return to the City. Remember me most kindly to all of your charming family, and believe me yours most sincerely, Esther Lester May 6th

1888_7-11-maybe-SI cricket and baseball club envelope July 11001 copy.jpgJPEG
798.13 KB
OCR Text

STATEN ISLAND CRICKET AND BASE BALL CLUB, LIVINGSTON, S. I. Miss Austin - Clifton - Staten Island

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:34:53 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:15:49 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:44:11 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:22:12 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Club_Related_Correspondence"

Parent

01KC28TRPA1HZPR4F90NQBADGP

No children (leaf entity)