1890 Mar 4001 George Rodney Booth.jpg

George Rodney Booth Correspondence Collection

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:36:51 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:26 PM

Added description

Description

George Rodney Booth Correspondence Collection

Overview

The George Rodney Booth Correspondence Collection is a small, digitized set of three personal letters written in March 1890. The letters were addressed to Elizabeth Alice Austen, the celebrated Staten Island photographer, and were later preserved by the Alice Austen House Museum. Each letter is available as a high‑resolution JPEG scan, accompanied by OCR‑derived text. The collection is catalogued in the PINAX metadata system and is part of the broader Austen Family Papers.

Background

George Rodney Booth, a resident of Staten Island, maintained a close friendship with Alice Austen and her circle. The letters were sent from various locations on the island—Rosebank P.O., Clifton, and a general reference to Staten Island—reflecting Booth’s personal and social concerns. The correspondence was collected by the museum to document the social networks and family ties surrounding Austen’s life during the late Victorian era.

Contents

  • Letter 4001 – Signed “Miss E. Alice Denton,” addressed to Austen from Rosebank P.O. The letter discusses family matters and includes a reference to Alice Denton.
  • Letter 4002 – Sent from Clifton, this letter touches on Victorian social life, mentioning Julia T. Martin and the writer’s observations of contemporary customs.
  • Letter 4003 – A Staten Island‑based letter that again addresses family concerns and contains personal reflections on the writer’s situation.

All three letters are in English, feature handwritten signatures, and include postal markings that situate them geographically. The OCR text provides a readable transcription of the handwritten content, though some passages remain partially garbled due to the quality of the original script.

Scope

The collection covers a single month—March 1890—and focuses on personal correspondence between Booth and Austen. It offers insight into the social milieu of upper‑middle‑class Staten Island families, the role of friendship networks in Victorian society, and the domestic concerns of the period. The collection is limited to three letters and does not include ancillary materials such as photographs or business records. It is an integral part of the Austen Family Papers, illustrating the broader context of Alice Austen’s personal and professional life.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@george_rodney_booth_correspondence:collection {title: "George Rodney Booth Correspondence Collection", creator: @george_rodney_booth, institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1890_03, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Victorian social life","Staten Island","Family matters"], description: "Correspondence from George Rodney Booth to Alice Austen in March 1890, discussing family matters and personal reflections."}


@george_rodney_booth:person {full_name: "George Rodney Booth"}

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

@alice_denton:person {full_name: "Miss E. Alice Denton"}

@julia_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", relationship: "close friend of Alice Austen", location: @albany}

@alice_austen_house:organization {name: "Alice Austen House Museum", location: @staten_island}

@rosebank_po:place {address: "Rosebank P.O.", city: @staten_island, state: @new_york}

@clifton:place {city: "Clifton", borough: @staten_island, state: @new_york}

@family_matters:concept {description: "Issues concerning family relationships, deaths, and obligations"}

@victorian_social_life:concept {description: "Social activities and customs among upper‑middle‑class Victorians"}

@photography_business:concept {description: "Commercial aspects of photography, including sales and exhibitions"}

@file_pinax:file {type: "Metadata (PINAX)", related_to: @george_rodney_booth_correspondence}


@letter_4001:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1890_03, from: @george_rodney_booth, to: @alice_austen, file: @file_1890_mar_4001_george_rodney_booth_jpg, address: @rosebank_po} {about: [@family_matters, @victorian_social_life]}


@letter_4002:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1890_03, from: @george_rodney_booth, to: @alice_austen, file: @file_1890_mar_4002_george_rodney_booth_jpg} {mentions: @julia_martin} {about: @victorian_social_life}


@letter_4003:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1890_03, from: @george_rodney_booth, to: @alice_austen, file: @file_1890_mar_4003_george_rodney_booth_jpg} {about: @family_matters}


@george_rodney_booth_correspondence -> contains -> [@letter_4001, @letter_4002, @letter_4003]

@george_rodney_booth_correspondence -> held by -> @alice_austen_house

@letter_4001 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_4002 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_4003 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_4001 -> mentions -> @alice_denton

@letter_4002 -> mentions -> @julia_martin

@letter_4003 -> mentions -> @alice_austen

@letter_4001 -> location -> @rosebank_po

@letter_4002 -> location -> @clifton

@letter_4003 -> location -> @staten_island

@letter_4001 -> theme -> @family_matters

@letter_4002 -> theme -> @victorian_social_life

@letter_4003 -> theme -> @family_matters

Metadata

Files (3)

1890 Mar 4001 George Rodney Booth.jpgJPEG
704.68 KB
OCR Text

Miss E. Alice Denton Rosebank P.O. Clifton Staten Island New York

1890 Mar 4002 George Rodney Booth.jpgJPEG
1.99 MB
OCR Text

But that, too, in the face of yours recollecting having put the tinder in your trunk; Julia, too, smiled in my face and didn't believe me when I denied being the culprit. Isn't it well for the country of its race is proud, and the ends of justice that insurance will that the ladies do not sit always vindicate itself as judges in our courts? in the end. Are the believe me meanwhile & have been very busy your Lewdanny Booth trying to assist them, but without having any

1890 Mar 4003 George Rodney Booth.jpgJPEG
2.56 MB
OCR Text

with every wish success. I am very glad, therefore, I was just about on the point of sending you the letter, together with a letter simply affirming that innocence which I was unable to prove to you, when your letter arrived. I will send you the hatcher just the same, and you can enjoy it. Allow me to remark, however, in passing, that you made a long and truly feminine leap to a conclusion, and from very small grounds; the grounds being so far as I am able to learn "a peculiar look" when I enquired after the welfare of the hinker on the morning you left.

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:36:51 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:21:12 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:45:52 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:26 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: George_Rodney_Booth_Correspondence"

Parent

01KC28TSYZGHJP74DM3QEGNJ9S

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