Alice Austen Social Invitations Collection
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:38:53 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:48 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen Social Invitations Collection (1891)
Overview
This collection comprises three high‑resolution JPEG scans of social invitations received by Elizabeth Alice Austen in 1891, accompanied by OCR‑derived transcriptions. The invitations were sent by the B & S Club, Mr. & Mrs. Erastus Wiman, and Orline Alexander, and they illustrate the social calendar of Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class community during the late Victorian era.Background
The Alice Austen House Museum preserves a wide array of materials related to the photographer’s life. The Social Invitations Collection is part of the broader Alice Austen Papers (MS1) and reflects the network of friends, family, and local clubs that shaped Austen’s social environment. The invitations were produced in 1891, a period when dance parties, afternoon gatherings, and lunch meetings were common social rituals among Staten Island residents.Contents
- Dance Invitation (Dec 2 1891) – Issued by the B & S Club for a dance at the Clifton Boat Club. The scanned image shows the club’s invitation card, and the OCR text reads: “The B & S Club request the pleasure of your company at a dance to be given on Wednesday December the second at the Clifton Boat Club… at eight o’clock.”
- At‑Home Event Invitation (Feb 10 1891) – Sent by Mr. & Mrs. Erastus Wiman to Austen for an afternoon gathering at Tantallon. The OCR text lists the time (five to seven o’clock) and location.
- Lunch Invitation (Feb 26 1891) – From Orline Alexander, inviting Austen to lunch in Arrochar to meet Miss Platt. The OCR text contains the invitation’s wording and the sender’s address.
Each image is accompanied by metadata indicating creator, date, place, and subject. The collection does not include the original paper cards but preserves their content and design through digital scans.
Scope
The collection is confined to social invitations received by Alice Austen during the calendar year 1891. It covers events held in Clifton, Tantallon, and Arrochar on Staten Island, New York. The material focuses exclusively on dance parties, afternoon gatherings, and lunch meetings, offering a snapshot of Victorian social life among the island’s affluent families. It does not include other correspondence, photographs, or business records.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island}
@erastus_wiman:person {full_name: "Erastus Wiman", residence: @staten_island}
@orline_alexander:person {full_name: "Orline Alexander", residence: @arrochar}
@miss_platt:person {full_name: "Miss Platt"}
@b_and_s_club:organization {description: "Social club that sent dance invitation"}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@clifton:place {borough: @staten_island}
@clifton_boat_club:place {location: @clifton}
@tantallon:place {borough: @staten_island}
@arrochar:place {borough: @staten_island}
@date_1866
@date_1952
@date_1891
@date_1891_12_02
@date_1891_02_10
@date_1891_02_26
@date_1891_02_19
@dance_invitation_1891_12_02:event {type: "dance", when: @date_1891_12_02, where: @clifton_boat_club, organizer: @b_and_s_club}
@at_home_event_1891_02_10:event {type: "at home gathering", when: @date_1891_02_10, where: @tantallon, hosts: [@erastus_wiman]}
@lunch_invitation_1891_02_26:event {type: "lunch", when: @date_1891_02_26, where: @arrochar, inviter: @orline_alexander, invitee: @alice_austen, purpose: "meet Miss Platt"}
@letter_feb_19_1891:document {author: @orline_alexander, date: @date_1891_02_19, recipient: @alice_austen, content: "Will you lunch with me on Thursday, February twenty-sixth, at half after one o'clock. To meet Miss Platt."}
@b_and_s_club -> invited -> @alice_austen {event: @dance_invitation_1891_12_02}
@alice_austen -> invited to -> @dance_invitation_1891_12_02:event
@erastus_wiman -> hosted -> @at_home_event_1891_02_10:event
@alice_austen -> attended -> @at_home_event_1891_02_10:event
@orline_alexander -> invited -> @alice_austen {event: @lunch_invitation_1891_02_26}
@alice_austen -> invited to -> @lunch_invitation_1891_02_26:event
@orline_alexander -> wrote -> @letter_feb_19_1891
@file_1891_12_dec_3002_copy_jpg -> contains -> @dance_invitation_1891_12_02:event
@file_1891_2_10_feb_2001_copy_jpg -> contains -> @at_home_event_1891_02_10:event
@file_1891_2_19_feb_4_1_alexander_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_feb_19_1891
@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen {role: "subject"}Metadata
Files (3)
1891_12-Dec 3002 copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
The B & S Club request the pleasure of your company at a dance to be given on Wednesday December the second at the Clifton Boat Club (through the kindness of the latter), at eight o'clock.
1891_2-10-Feb 2001 copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Mr. & Mrs. Erastus Wiman At Home, on Tuesday afternoon, February the tenth, from five until seven o'clock. Tantallon.
1891_2-19-Feb 4.1-alexander copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Dear Miss Austen Will you lunch with me on Thursday, February twenty-sixth, at half after one o'clock. To meet Miss Platt. Very cordially, Orline Alexander Arrochar, S. February nineteenth
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:38:53 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:27:44 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:47:27 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:48 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Social_Invitations"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)