1888_5-May 5002-Hetty-MacFarland.jpg

Alice Austen Correspondence with Hetty MacFarland

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:35:12 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:22:15 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Correspondence with Hetty MacFarland (May 1888)

Overview

This collection comprises two scanned images of handwritten letters written by Hetty MacFarland to Elizabeth Alice Austen in May 1888. The documents are digitized as JPEG files and accompanied by metadata that records their provenance, date, and contextual subjects such as personal correspondence, Victorian social life, and the Staten Island community of Arrochar.

Background

Hetty MacFarland, a resident of Arrochar on Staten Island, maintained a close friendship with Alice Austen, a pioneering photographer and social figure of late‑19th‑century New York. The letters were produced during a period when Austen was engaged in both her photographic practice and her social engagements, including attending readings and managing event tickets. The correspondence reflects the informal, everyday concerns of the era, such as ticket arrangements for literary readings and the logistics of social gatherings.

Contents

  • Letter 1 (1888‑05‑5002): A handwritten note in which Hetty apologizes for not receiving Austen’s tickets in time for a reading, mentions a request from “Martin” for tickets, and references Manna, a ticket broker who had purchased tickets from Mrs. Wilmun.
  • Letter 2 (1888‑05‑5003): A continuation of the discussion, in which Hetty offers two dollars to Austen, citing the difficulty of selling tickets to “Nichols or Martin.” The letter is signed by Walter Max Holland Ford and dated “Freda May 1888.”
  • Metadata: Includes the collection title, creator, institution, language, subjects, and geographic tags (Arrochar, Staten Island, New York, United States).
  • OCR Text: Extracted from the images, providing a readable transcription of the handwritten content.

Scope

The collection covers a single month (May 1888) and is geographically focused on Arrochar, Staten Island, within the broader context of New York State. The material centers on personal correspondence concerning social events, ticket logistics, and informal business arrangements. It does not include broader archival items such as photographs or business ledgers, but it offers insight into the social networks and everyday concerns of a Victorian‑era Staten Island community.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@alice_austen_correspondence_with_hetty_macfarland:collection {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Hetty MacFarland", creator: @hetty_macfarland, institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1888_05, language: "en", subjects: ["Personal correspondence","Social life","Victorian era","Staten Island","Arrochar"]}


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


@hetty_macfarland:person {full_name: "Hetty MacFarland", role: "correspondent"}


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


@martin:person {last_name: "Martin"}


@manna:person {first_name: "Manna", role: "ticket broker"}


@mrs_wilmun:person {title: "Mrs.", last_name: "Wilmun"}


@walter_max_holland_ford:person {full_name: "Walter Max Holland Ford"}


@freda:person {first_name: "Freda"}


@arrochar:place {location: @staten_island}


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


@file_pinax:file {type: "metadata"}


@letter_may_1888_hetty_to_alice:file {type: "image", source: @file_1888_5_may_5002_hetty_macfarland_jpg}


@letter_may_1888_hetty_to_alice_2:file {type: "image", source: @file_1888_5_may_5003_hetty_macfarland_jpg}


@hetty_macfarland -> wrote -> @letter_may_1888_hetty_to_alice {when: @date_1888_05, where: @arrochar}


@letter_may_1888_hetty_to_alice -> addressed to -> @alice_austen


@martin -> asked -> @hetty_macfarland {about: "tickets"}


@manna -> bought tickets from -> @mrs_wilmun


@hetty_macfarland -> gave -> @walter_max_holland_ford {amount: "two dollars", reason: "to sell Nichols or Martin"}


@letter_may_1888_hetty_to_alice_2 -> signed by -> @freda {date: @date_1888_05}

Metadata

Files (2)

1888_5-May 5002-Hetty-MacFarland.jpgJPEG
2.6 MB
OCR Text

Arrochar. My dear Alice, I did not receive your tickets until after the reading and I have been careless in not attending to this matter but I will inquire for you about it. At the same time Martin asked me to get tickets from you. I had not heard of this affair but Manna, who is sure to be our man with tickets, had bought some from Mrs. Wilmun. Of course I did not use the tickets you sent.

1888_5-May 5003-Hetty-MacFarland.jpgJPEG
2.14 MB
OCR Text

But I will give you the two dollars because I know how miserable it must be to sell Nichols or Martin to have him and not dispose of him. In heart with love Walter Max Holland Ford Freda May 1888

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:35:12 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:15:53 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:44:32 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:22:15 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Personal_Correspondence_Hetty_MacFarland"

Parent

01KC28TRPA1HZPR4F90NQBADGP

No children (leaf entity)