1888_7-21-July 2001-scofield copy.jpg

Alice Austen Correspondence with Julia H.K. Coefield

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:35:31 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:22:18 PM

Added description

Description

Correspondence with Julia H.K. Coefield (1888)

Overview

This collection comprises the surviving correspondence between Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952), a pioneering Staten Island photographer, and her close friend Julia H.K. Coefield of Albany. The documents were created on 21 July 1888 and include an invitation to a bathing party and picnic, a calling card of Miss Alice Husten, and scanned reproductions of the original letters. The materials are held by the Alice Austen House Museum and are available in digital form as JPEG images and transcriptions.

Background

Alice Austen was a prominent figure in late‑Victorian social circles on Staten Island, known for her photographic work and active participation in community events. Julia Coefield, a friend from Albany, corresponded with Austen during the late 1880s, inviting her to social gatherings that reflected the leisure culture of the era. The collection illustrates the friendship between two women who navigated upper‑middle‑class society while engaging in the emerging art of photography.

Contents

  • Invitation Letter (21 July 1888) – A handwritten note from Julia Coefield proposing a bathing party and picnic in Rosebank, Staten Island, with details of timing and location.
  • Calling Card of Miss Alice Husten – A Victorian‑style card bearing Austen’s name and address in Rosebank, reproduced in a scanned JPEG.
  • Photographic Reproductions – High‑resolution JPEG scans of the original letter and calling card, each accompanied by OCR‑derived text for accessibility.
  • Transcriptions – Typed, machine‑readable versions of the handwritten correspondence, facilitating research and textual analysis.

Scope

The collection covers a single day’s correspondence (21 July 1888) and focuses on social invitations within the Staten Island community. It is limited to the exchange between Austen and Coefield and does not include other letters or broader photographic materials. The documents are in English, dated to the late 19th century, and provide a snapshot of leisure activities—bathing parties, picnics, and social card exchanges—among women in the upper‑middle class of New York State.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@julia_hk_coefield:person {full_name: "Julia H.K. Coefield", relationship: "close friend of @alice_austen", residence: @albany}

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

@rosebank:place {neighborhood_of: @staten_island}

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

@file_pinax:file {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Julia H.K. Coefield"}

@correspondence_collection:document {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Julia H.K. Coefield", creator: [@julia_hk_coefield, @alice_austen], created: @date_1888_07_21, institution: @alice_austen_house, subjects: ["Correspondence","Social life","Picnics","Bathing parties"], description: "Collection containing correspondence between Alice Austen and Julia H.K. Coefield, including an invitation to a bathing party and picnic in July 1888."} 

@file_pinax -> documents -> @correspondence_collection

@file_1888_7_21_july_2002_scofield_copy_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "Letter from Julia H.K. Coefield to Alice Austen"} 

@julia_hk_coefield -> wrote -> @invitation_letter:document {date: @date_1888_07_21, description: "Invitation to a bathing party and picnic"} 

@invitation_letter -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@invitation_letter -> mentions -> @bathing_party:event {description: "Bathing party proposed for the morning tide", proposed_by: @julia_hk_coefield, when: @date_1888_07_21}

@invitation_letter -> mentions -> @picnic:event {description: "Picnic to follow the bathing party", proposed_by: @julia_hk_coefield, when: @date_1888_07_21}

@file_1888_7_21_july_2002_scofield_copy_jpg -> contains -> @invitation_letter

@file_1888_7_21_july_2001_scofield_copy_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "Calling card of Miss Alice Husten"} 

@alice_husten_card:document {type: "calling card"} 

@alice_husten_card -> depicts -> @alice_austen

@file_1888_7_21_july_2001_scofield_copy_jpg -> contains -> @alice_husten_card

@bathing_party:event -> location -> @rosebank

@picnic:event -> location -> @rosebank

Metadata

Files (2)

1888_7-21-July 2001-scofield copy.jpgJPEG
321.68 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice Husten Rosebank Staten Island

1888_7-21-July 2002-scofield copy.jpgJPEG
467.17 KB
OCR Text

Dear Alice, Next Wednesday we propose having a bathing party and picnic as the tide will serve in the morning. I hope you will be able to join us. Hille dropped a line Tuesday telling what time we start. Yours, Julia H.K. Coefield Sent from Saturday

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:35:31 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:17:04 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:44:45 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:22:18 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Correspondence_Julia_Scofield"

Parent

01KC28TTNA95H5GBNB0G7GZH3A

No children (leaf entity)