Eliza Snivley Correspondence Collection
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:37:17 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:34 PM
Added description
Description
Eliza Snivley Correspondence Collection
Overview
The Eliza Snivley Correspondence Collection is a digitized assemblage of personal letters and a calling card addressed to Alice Austen, compiled in September 1890. The collection is housed in the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York, and is available online as scanned JPEG images with accompanying OCR text. It represents a snapshot of Victorian‑era social life among the upper‑middle‑class families of New York and Staten Island.Background
Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer whose work documented the social and cultural milieu of late‑19th‑century New York. The correspondence in this collection was sent to Austen by friends and acquaintances—Eliza Snivley, Ada C. Crewe, S. C. Davis, and Miss Alice Curtis—reflecting the close-knit network that supported her artistic and personal life. The letters were collected by the museum’s archivists as part of a broader effort to preserve Austen’s personal papers and contextualize her photographic career.Contents
The collection contains three handwritten letters and one Victorian‑era calling card, all dated September 1890.- Letter 1 (Ada C. Crewe → Alice Austen): A friendly note expressing well‑wishes, describing garden life, and offering comfort.
- Letter 2 (S. C. Davis → Alice Austen): A brief message to “Misses, Miss Shepherd & Miss Cooper of the Vineeries Family,” encouraging future visits.
- Letter 3 (Miss Alice Curtis → Alice Austen): A calling card from Rose House on Niton Island, New York, indicating a social connection.
Scope
The collection covers a single month—September 1890—and focuses on personal correspondence addressed to Alice Austen. It is limited to three letters and one calling card, all written in English and originating from Staten Island or New York City. The materials illuminate Austen’s social circle, the everyday concerns of her contemporaries, and the broader Victorian social customs of the time. The collection does not include photographs taken by Austen or other archival materials beyond the scanned letters and calling card.Raw Cheimarros Data
@eliza_snivley_correspondence:collection {title: "Eliza Snivley Correspondence Collection", creator: [@eliza_snivley, @ada_c_crewe, @s_c_davis], institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1890_09, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Victorian-era social life","Personal letters","Family relationships"], description: "Letters addressed to Alice Austen from Eliza Snivley and others, dated September 1890."}
@alice_austen_house:organization {type: "Museum", location: @staten_island, name: "Alice Austen House Museum"}
@eliza_snivley:person {full_name: "Eliza Snivley"}
@ada_c_crewe:person {full_name: "Ada C. Crewe"}
@s_c_davis:person {full_name: "S. C. Davis"}
@nition_island:place {alternate_name: "Niton Island", location: @staten_island, country: @united_states}
@miss_alice_curtis:person {full_name: "Alice Curtis"}
@miss_shepherd:person {full_name: "Miss Shepherd"}
@miss_cooper:person {full_name: "Miss Cooper"}
@vineeries_family:organization {type: "Family", name: "Vineeries Family"}
@letter_1890_sept_2002:document {date: @date_1890_09, sender: @ada_c_crewe, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @new_york, content: "My Dear Alice, I am glad to hear you are well and that the weather is good here. We have our house much for the coming week—some very short days, and my thoughts stick much closer to a garden life lately. Wonder—if it is a great thing to be living at home here with a sister like her they are certainly very happy—really quite a comfort to you and me. Love, Ada C. Crewe"}
@letter_1890_sept_2003:document {date: @date_1890_09, sender: @s_c_davis, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @new_york, content: "Dear Misses, Miss Shepherd & Miss Cooper of the Vineeries Family & all those quietly - The dear ladies who ministered you girls, & have been so kind as to write me since your Effi - a true friend & sister when she if you are ever free up in the World visit me. Sincerely yours S. C. Davis"}
@calling_card_1890_sept_2001:document {date: @date_1890_09, sender: @miss_alice_curtis, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @nition_island, content: "Miss Alice Curtis Rose House Niton Island N.Y."}
@file_pinax -> documents -> @eliza_snivley_correspondence:collection
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@file_1890_sept_2003_eliza_snivley_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1890_sept_2003:document
@file_1890_sept_2001_eliza_snivley_jpg -> contains -> @calling_card_1890_sept_2001:document
@letter_1890_sept_2002 -> part of -> @eliza_snivley_correspondence:collection
@letter_1890_sept_2003 -> part of -> @eliza_snivley_correspondence:collection
@calling_card_1890_sept_2001 -> part of -> @eliza_snivley_correspondence:collectionMetadata
Files (3)
1890 Sept 2001 Eliza Snivley.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Curtis Rose House Niton Island N.Y.
1890 Sept 2002 Eliza Snivley.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
New York Queens J My Dear Alice, I am glad to hear you are well and that the weather is good here. We have our house much for the coming week—some very short days, and my thoughts stick much closer to a garden life lately. Wonder—if it is a great thing to be living at home here with a sister like her they are certainly very happy—really quite a comfort to you and me. Love, Ada C. Crewe
1890 Sept 2003 Eliza Snivley.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Dear Misses, Miss Shepherd & Miss Cooper of the Vineeries Family & all those quietly - The dear ladies who ministered you girls, & have been so kind as to write me since your Effi - a true friend & sister when she if you are ever free up in the World visit me. Sincerely yours S. C. Davis
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:37:17 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:23:52 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:46:19 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:34 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Eliza_Snivley_Correspondence"
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