1891_2-15-Feb 5.1-blunt copy.jpg

Edith E. Blunt Correspondence to Alice Austen

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:38:33 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:44 PM

Added description

Description

Edith E. Blunt Correspondence to Alice Austen (February 1891)

Overview

This collection comprises five handwritten letters written by Edith E. Blunt to her friend and fellow Staten Island resident, photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen. The letters, dated February 15–16 1891, were sent from various California locales—including Pasadena, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles—and a return letter from Staten Island. The documents have been digitized as JPEG scans of the original pages and are accompanied by transcriptions in plain text. All materials are in English and are part of the Alice Austen House Museum’s Austen Family Papers (MS1).

Background

Edith Blunt was a contemporary of Austen and a member of the same upper‑middle‑class social circle in late‑Victorian New York. In 1891, Blunt embarked on a health‑related trip to the “cool air” of Southern California, a common practice among the affluent of the era. The letters provide a first‑hand account of her travels, the people she met, and the social customs of the time, while also reflecting her interest in photography and the broader cultural milieu.

Contents

  • Four letters dated February 15 1891 (Pasadena, California)
  • - Discuss travel itinerary, health concerns (e.g., “Stanhope’s cold”), family updates, and remarks on photographs.
  • One letter dated February 16 1891 (Staten Island, New York)
  • - A brief return note confirming receipt of the earlier correspondence.
  • Digital images of each letter (five JPEG files) with OCR‑derived transcriptions.
  • Metadata indicating places (Pasadena, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Staten Island), subjects (travel, health, photography, Victorian social life), and dates.

Scope

The collection documents a narrow, two‑day window of Blunt’s California excursion and her communication with Austen. It covers personal health, travel experiences, social interactions, and photographic interests within the context of late‑19th‑century upper‑class society. The materials are geographically limited to California and New York and temporally confined to February 1891, providing a focused snapshot of trans‑Atlantic social networks and leisure practices of the period.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@edith_blunt:person {full_name: "Edith E. Blunt"}

@pasadena:place {state: @california, country: @united_states}

@santa_barbara:place {state: @california, country: @united_states}

@los_angeles:place {state: @california, country: @united_states}

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


@file_pinax:file {title: "Edith E. Blunt Correspondence to Alice Austen", creator: @edith_blunt, institution: "Alice Austen House", created: @date_1891_02_15, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Travel","Pasadena","California","Victorian-era social life","Health","Photography"], description: "A collection of correspondence from Edith E. Blunt to Alice Austen, describing a trip to Pasadena, California, and discussing health, travel, and photography.", places: [@pasadena, @santa_barbara, @los_angeles, @staten_island]}


@letter_1891_feb_15_1:document {author: @edith_blunt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1891_02_15, location: @pasadena, content: "Dear Alice, I must drop you a line to night before I close my eyes or I shall not rest. You will be surprised to see where we are. Stanhope's cold has been hanging on so long, that the Dr's thought a change of air the best thing for him. Mr. Blunt is away from home away way in Recruiting Service, so I thought we might as well"} 

@edith_blunt -> wrote -> @letter_1891_feb_15_1:document {when: @date_1891_02_15, where: @pasadena}

@letter_1891_feb_15_1:document -> addressed to -> @alice_austen


@letter_1891_feb_15_2:document {author: @edith_blunt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1891_02_15, location: @pasadena, content: "In a little of Southern Cal before Frankie returns, Mrs. Bricheanu has lost her lovely voice, so she was delighted to join our party and travel with us to Warner Gerts. We came down by Steamer to Santa Barbara, went all over that town, saw everything; thence to Los Angeles, and took that all in. We are now right in the same place Mamma & Papa were in 7 or 8 years ago. It is perfect that it all I can say."}

@edith_blunt -> wrote -> @letter_1891_feb_15_2:document {when: @date_1891_02_15, where: @pasadena}

@letter_1891_feb_15_2:document -> addressed to -> @alice_austen


@letter_1891_feb_15_3:document {author: @edith_blunt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1891_02_15, location: @pasadena, content: "Do is to pick one - we sit out in the sun all day in large easy chairs and do next to nothing - We shall stay here one month, & I do hope Daisy will be well & Mrs. Buchanan also by that time. Indie wants the rest & it is just as well in her - she went so hard before she left Presidio that she looked so badly. I started to thank you for your good picture it is splendid of you & also of Papas library. I was so glad to have it. I must close this scrawl"}

@edith_blunt -> wrote -> @letter_1891_feb_15_3:document {when: @date_1891_02_15, where: @pasadena}

@letter_1891_feb_15_3:document -> addressed to -> @alice_austen


@letter_1891_feb_15_4:document {author: @edith_blunt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1891_02_15, location: @pasadena, content: "Now as I have been writing all the evening and my back is tired. We all send love. Believe me your true friend, Edith E. Blunt."}

@edith_blunt -> wrote -> @letter_1891_feb_15_4:document {when: @date_1891_02_15, where: @pasadena}

@letter_1891_feb_15_4:document -> addressed to -> @alice_austen


@letter_1891_feb_16_1:document {author: @edith_blunt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1891_02_16, location: @staten_island, content: "Miss Alice Austin Rosetauh P.O. Staten Island N.Y."}

@edith_blunt -> wrote -> @letter_1891_feb_16_1:document {when: @date_1891_02_16, where: @staten_island}

@letter_1891_feb_16_1:document -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

Metadata

Files (5)

1891_2-15-Feb 5.1-blunt copy.jpgJPEG
524.08 KB
OCR Text

Pasadena, Cal. Care Mrs. Doyler Sunday Eve. Feb 15th Dear Alice, I must drop you a line to night before I close my eyes or I shall not rest. You will be surprised to see where we are. Stanhope's cold has been hanging on so long, that the Dr's thought a change of air the best thing for him. Mr. Blunt is away from home away way in Recruiting Service, so I thought we might as well

1891_2-15-Feb 5.2-blunt copy.jpgJPEG
526.98 KB
OCR Text

In a little of Southern Cal before Frankie returns, Mrs. Bricheanu has lost her lovely voice, so she was delighted to join our party and travel with us to Warner Gerts. We came down by Steamer to Santa Barbara, went all over that town, saw everything; thence to Los Angeles, and took that all in. We are now right in the same place Mamma & Papa were in 7 or 8 years ago. It is perfect that it all I can say. When we want changes all one has to

1891_2-15-Feb 5.3-blunt copy.jpgJPEG
536.41 KB
OCR Text

Do is to pick one - we sit out in the sun all day in large easy chairs and do next to nothing - We shall stay here one month, & I do hope Daisy will be well & Mrs. Buchanan also by that time. Indie wants the rest & it is just as well in her - she went so hard before she left Presidio that she looked so badly. I started to thank you for your good picture it is splendid of you & also of Papas library. I was so glad to have it. I must close this scrawl

1891_2-15-Feb 5.4-blunt copy.jpgJPEG
398.9 KB
OCR Text

Now as I have been writing all the evening and my back is tired. We all send love. Believe me your true friend, Edith E. Blunt.

1891_2-16-Feb 5005-pasadena copy.jpgJPEG
454.39 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice Austin Rosetauh P.O. Staten Island N.Y.

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:38:33 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:25:37 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:47:16 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:44 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Edith_Blunt_Correspondence"

Parent

01KC28TQZF4SPVXEB8P9XQ1DZ4

No children (leaf entity)