Bessie Strong Correspondence to Alice Austen

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:38:05 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:46 PM

Added description

Description

Bessie Strong Correspondence to Alice Austen (November–December 1891)

Overview

This collection comprises seven digitized photographs of handwritten letters written by Bessie Strong to her friend Alice Austen. The letters were penned between 29 November 1891 and 27 December 1891 and are preserved as JPEG scans with accompanying OCR‑derived text. The material is part of the Austen Family Papers held by the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York.

Background

Bessie Strong (full name: Bessie Strong) was a contemporary of Alice Austen, residing in New Brunswick and the Rosebank area of Staten Island. The correspondence reflects the social milieu of upper‑middle‑class families in late‑Victorian New York. The letters were created during a period of active social engagement—horse shows, dances, and Christmas celebrations—common to the community in which both women lived.

Contents

The seven letters discuss a range of personal and social topics:
  • Social events: invitations to a horse‑show, a “Zete” dance, a “Jete” dance, and a house dance on 16 December.
  • Holiday matters: descriptions of Christmas preparations, gifts received from friends and relatives, and the arrival of a “gay butterfly” ornament.
  • Health and family: Bessie’s own illness (“wretched cold”), the death of De Wolfe’s brother, and updates on family members.
  • Friendships: references to friends such as Rosalie, Charlie Budloff, Mrs. Ruskin, and Etta Macaulay, as well as mentions of other acquaintances (Al, Theodore, Ed, Annie, Jack Van Dyke, Lillie Mason).
  • Cultural interests: music and dance, including a discussion of a “Zete” dance and a “Jete” dance.

The OCR text provides a readable transcription of each letter, while the original scans preserve the handwritten details and paper texture.

Scope

The collection documents a single month of correspondence (29 Nov–27 Dec 1891) between Bessie Strong and Alice Austen. It includes only letters written by Bessie to Alice; no replies or other documents are present. The material covers social, familial, and cultural aspects of life in late‑19th‑century Staten Island and New Brunswick, offering insight into Victorian social customs, holiday traditions, and the personal networks of the Austen family.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong"}

@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Alice Austen"} 

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

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

@rosebank:place {city: @staten_island}

@rosalie:person {full_name: "Rosalie"}

@charlie_budloff:person {full_name: "Charlie Budloff"}

@mrs_ruskin:person {full_name: "Mrs. Ruskin"}

@etta_macaulay:person {full_name: "Etta Macaulay"}

@jack_van_dyke:person {full_name: "Jack Van Dyke"}

@helen:person {full_name: "Helen"}

@al:person {full_name: "Al"}

@theodore:person {full_name: "Theodore"}

@ed:person {full_name: "Ed"}

@annie:person {full_name: "Annie"}

@lillie_mason:person {full_name: "Lillie Mason"}

@horse_show:event {description: "Local horse-show"}

@zete_dance:event {description: "Zete dance", date: @date_1891_11_??}

@jete_dance:event {description: "Jete dance", date: @date_1891_12_08}

@christmas_1891:event {description: "Christmas 1891"}

@de_wolfe_brother_death:event {description: "Death of De Wolfe's brother", cause: "cancer surgery"}

@dance_wednesday_16th:event {description: "House dance on Wednesday, Dec 16 1891", date: @date_1891_12_08}


@file_1891_11_29_nov_2002_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Nov 29 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_11_29, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_11_29_nov_2002_strong_copy_jpg

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @horse_show


@file_1891_11_29_nov_2003_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Nov 29 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_11_29, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_11_29_nov_2003_strong_copy_jpg

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @rosalie

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @zete_dance

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @mrs_ruskin


@file_1891_11_29_nov_2005_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Nov 29 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_11_29, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_11_29_nov_2005_strong_copy_jpg

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @charlie_budloff

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @rosalie


@file_1891_12_27_dec_4001_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Dec 27 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_12_27, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_12_27_dec_4001_strong_copy_jpg

@bessie_strong -> discusses -> @christmas_1891


@file_1891_12_27_dec_4002_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Dec 27 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_12_27, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_12_27_dec_4002_strong_copy_jpg


@file_1891_12_27_dec_4003_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Dec 27 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_12_27, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_12_27_dec_4003_strong_copy_jpg

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @al

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @theodore

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @ed

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @annie

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @jack_van_dyke

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @lillie_mason


@file_1891_12_27_dec_4004_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Dec 27 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_12_27, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_12_27_dec_4004_strong_copy_jpg

@bessie_strong -> reports -> @de_wolfe_brother_death


@file_1891_12_27_dec_4005_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Dec 27 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_12_27, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_12_27_dec_4005_strong_copy_jpg


@file_1891_12_8_dec_6001_strong_copy_jpg:document {title: "Letter to Alice Austen (Dec 8 1891)"} {date: @date_1891_12_08, to: @alice_austen}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @file_1891_12_8_dec_6001_strong_copy_jpg

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @jete_dance

@bessie_strong -> mentions -> @dance_wednesday_16th


@file_pinax:document {title: "Bessie Strong Correspondence to Alice Austen", creator: @bessie_strong, date_range: {start: @date_1891_11_29, end: @date_1891_12_27}, subjects: ["Correspondence","Victorian social life","Friendship","Christmas celebrations","Music","Gift-giving","Health","Family relationships"], places: [@new_brunswick, @staten_island]}

@bessie_strong -> created -> @file_pinax

@bessie_strong -> lived in -> @staten_island

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @alice_austen

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @rosalie

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @charlie_budloff

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @mrs_ruskin

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @etta_macaulay

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @jack_van_dyke

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @helen

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @al

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @theodore

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @ed

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @annie

@bessie_strong -> corresponded with -> @lillie_mason

@bessie_strong -> mentioned place -> @rosebank

@bessie_strong -> mentioned place -> @new_brunswick

@bessie_strong -> mentioned place -> @staten_island

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:38:05 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:25:14 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:47:01 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:46 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Bessie_Strong_Correspondence"

Additional Components (11)

Click to expand and load individual components

1891_11-29-Nov 2001-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_11-29-Nov 2002-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_11-29-Nov 2003-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_11-29-Nov 2004-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_11-29-Nov 2005-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_12-27-Dec 4001-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_12-27-Dec 4002-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_12-27-Dec 4003-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_12-27-Dec 4004-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_12-27-Dec 4005-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1891_12-8-Dec 6001-strong copy.jpg.ref.json

Parent

01KC28TNTAT9MD96JMQCVGYQ2Q

No children (leaf entity)