Alice Austen Correspondence from Effie S. Alexander
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:39:12 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:50 PM
Added description
Description
Effie S. Alexander to Alice Austen Correspondence (1891)
Overview
This digital collection comprises four scanned images of a single handwritten letter dated August 4, 1891, written by Effie S. Alexander to her friend Elizabeth Alice Austen. The images are accompanied by a Pinax metadata record that documents the letter’s provenance, language, and subject headings. The material is part of the Alice Austen House Museum’s Austen Family Papers and is available in the “CorrespondenceEffieS_Alexander” folder.Background
Effie S. Alexander was a close friend of Alice Austen, a pioneering American photographer from Staten Island. The letter reflects the social milieu of late‑Victorian New York and the Pacific Northwest, mentioning travel, tennis, and contemporary acquaintances. The collection was digitized as part of the museum’s effort to preserve and provide access to Austen’s personal papers, which span 1883‑1898 and include correspondence, calling cards, and photographic records.Contents
- Four JPEG scans of the original letter, each containing a complete OCR transcription of the text.
- Pinax metadata file detailing creator, date, institution, language, subjects (e.g., “Victorian social life,” “Travel,” “Seattle”), and place references (Staten Island, Seattle, Sedro, San Francisco, Canadian Pacific).
- The letter’s content discusses St. John, Julia Martin, Miss Brett, Gertrude Williams, and the author’s observations of Seattle and the Canadian Pacific Railway, offering insight into personal relationships and contemporary travel.
Scope
The collection covers a single correspondence event in August 1891, situated within the broader Austen Family Papers. It documents personal interactions among upper‑middle‑class Staten Island residents and their acquaintances across the United States and Canada. The material is limited to English text and the four scanned images; it does not include additional letters, photographs, or related documents from other years. The collection is valuable for researchers studying Victorian social networks, early photographic patrons, and the cultural life of late‑19th‑century America.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", location: @staten_island}
@effie_s_alexander:person {full_name: "Effie S. Alexander", relation: "friend of Alice Austen"}
@julia_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", relation: "friend of Alice Austen"}
@miss_brett:person {full_name: "Miss Brett"}
@gertrude_williams:person {full_name: "Gertrude Williams", occupation: "tennis player"}
@st_john:person {full_name: "St. John", description: "friend mentioned in letter"}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@seattle:place {state: @washington, country: @united_states}
@sedro:place {state: @washington, country: @united_states}
@san_francisco:place {state: @california, country: @united_states}
@canadian_pacific:organization {type: "railway"}
@letter_1891_08_04:document {date: @date_1891_08_04, from: @effie_s_alexander, to: @alice_austen}
@effie_s_alexander -> wrote -> @letter_1891_08_04 {when: @date_1891_08_04}
@letter_1891_08_04 -> mentions -> [@st_john, @julia_martin, @miss_brett, @gertrude_williams, @seattle, @sedro, @san_francisco, @canadian_pacific]
@file_pinax:file {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence from Effie S. Alexander", creator: @effie_s_alexander, institution: "Alice Austen House", created: @date_1891_08_04, language: "en"}
@file_pinax -> describes -> @letter_1891_08_04
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4001_effie_copy_jpg:file {format: "image", ocr: true}
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4001_effie_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1891_08_04
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4002_effie_copy_jpg:file {format: "image", ocr: true}
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4002_effie_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1891_08_04
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4003_effie_copy_jpg:file {format: "image", ocr: true}
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4003_effie_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1891_08_04
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4004_effie_copy_jpg:file {format: "image", ocr: true}
@file_1891_8_4_aug_4004_effie_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1891_08_04
@date_1866
@date_1952
@date_1891_08_04Metadata
Files (4)
OCR Text
715 Columbia Street August 4th, 1891 Dear Alice, I did not write immediately to thank you for the pie for I wanted to write a letter and not a note. The pie is very pretty and you were awfully good to send it to me. Your friend St. John has left us, but not Seattle he is sailing now, you would have been very much amused to hear his account of his admiration for
OCR Text
Miss Brett, according to his story, you asked him to call, he is quite good sometimes, he is such an egotistical cub, he thinks you very nice and was quite indignant at the account in the "World" of Gertrude Williams being the best tennis player and not you. Tiny has gone to Sedro he found nothing to do in Seattle; he went Saturday morning, we expect him back at any time for he sent word he did not like it very much and would not stay long. Mamma thinks you would
OCR Text
like it here, that you would enjoy the cable-cars and the hills, I wish you would arrange to come out and spend next summer with me. St. John is very enthusiastic over Seattle says he would do anything if he can only stay here comes up about twice a week that is quite often enough for we had a good big dose of him. Poor Julia Martin I feel very sorry for her, I hope she will be happy in this place she has got, she never was happy at home so perhaps
OCR Text
She will be now. Trudie's friends the Haringtons are here now, they said she was a great belle in San Francisco, very much admired etc. Maumma says 'til Alice that Kin and I have wished she was with us a good many times on the Canadian Pacific when we came through on the beautiful scenery. With lots more thanks for the fun and much love from both of us Your loving friend Effie S. Alexander
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:39:12 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:28:28 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:47:38 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:50 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Correspondence_Effie_S_Alexander"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)