1891_9-10-Sept 1001 copy.jpg

Alice Austen Correspondence with Henry Kipling

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:39:15 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:51 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Correspondence with Henry Kipling (1891)

Overview

This digital collection comprises a single letter dated September 18, 1891, written by Henry Kipling to Miss Alice Austen, along with accompanying photographs taken during a sailing party. The materials were scanned and made available by the Alice Austen House Museum, part of the broader Austen Family Papers (MS 1) that documents the photographer’s personal and professional life from 1883‑1898.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer based in Staten Island. Her correspondence with friends and family provides insight into her social milieu and the business of photography in the late Victorian era. Henry Kipling, a contemporary of Austen’s, appears in the collection as a friend and fellow photographer who documented the sailing party referenced in the letter. The letter was written in Flushing, New York, and reflects the everyday exchanges among the upper‑middle‑class residents of Staten Island.

Contents

  • Letter (1891‑09‑18) – A typed or handwritten note from Kipling to Austen, thanking her for a recent note and discussing photographs taken by a friend named Howard at a sailing party. The letter is preserved as a high‑resolution JPEG scan with OCR text.
  • Photographs – Two scanned images of photographs taken during the sailing party, likely depicting the event and its participants. One image bears the caption “Miss Alice Ai Clifton Staten Island New York,” indicating a portrait of Austen herself.
  • Supplementary materials – Additional scanned copies of the letter and photographs are included, providing alternate views and contextual details.

Scope

The collection covers a single date, September 18, 1891, and focuses on the personal correspondence between Austen and Kipling. It illustrates the intersection of social life and photography in late‑19th‑century Staten Island, offering a snapshot of a specific event (the sailing party) and the individuals involved. The materials are in English, dated to the Victorian era, and are housed within the Alice Austen House Museum’s digital repository. The collection is a subset of the Austen Family Papers, which collectively span 1883‑1898 and include a broader range of letters, photographs, and related ephemera.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", location: @staten_island}

@henry_kipling:person {full_name: "Henry Kipling"}

@alice_austen_house:organization {name: "Alice Austen House Museum", location: @staten_island}

@alice_austen_kipling_correspondence:document {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Henry Kipling", creator: [@henry_kipling, @alice_austen], institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1891_09_18, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence", "Photography", "Social Life", "Victorian Era", "Staten Island"], place: [@staten_island, @new_york, @flushing]}

@flushing:place {city: @new_york, borough: @staten_island}

@letter_1891_09_18_hkg:document {author: @henry_kipling, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1891_09_18, location: @flushing, excerpt: "Many thanks for your little note received this evening. Howard showed me today the photos he took on the sailing party—they are amusing and some of the likenesses of your back hair are very good but unfortunately there is none of your face by which you could possibly be recognized."}

@henry_kipling -> wrote -> @letter_1891_09_18_hkg

@alice_austen -> received -> @letter_1891_09_18_hkg

@letter_1891_09_18_hkg -> mentions -> @flushing

@howard:person {first_name: "Howard"}

@letter_1891_09_18_hkg -> mentions -> @howard

@photography:concept {description: "the practice and business of taking and selling photographs"}

@letter_1891_09_18_hkg -> discusses -> @photography

@sailing_party:event {description: "sailing party referenced in correspondence", date: @date_1891_09_18}

@howard -> participated in -> @sailing_party

@alice_austen -> participated in -> @sailing_party

@letter_1891_09_18_hkg -> references -> @sailing_party

Metadata

Files (3)

1891_9-10-Sept 1001 copy.jpgJPEG
278.02 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice Ai Clifton Staten Island New York

1891_9-10-Sept 1002-HKG copy.jpgJPEG
1.23 MB
OCR Text

Dear Miss Austin, Many thanks for your little note received this evening. Howard showed me today the photos he took on the sailing party—they are amusing and some of the likenesses of your back hair are very good but unfortunately there is none of your face by which you could possibly be recognized. Sincerely yours, Henry Kipling Flushing September 18th

1891_9-10-Sept 1003-HKG copy.jpgJPEG
1.33 MB
OCR Text

withstanding the rain which made things rather wet for a while in the pm Sunday—Once I had to repile in boat and I morning from the water being somewhat in the flood is amount of Guay from Cork! I believe I am expected to do there again next Sunday any—but haven't decided yet whether to go—or we are all going down tomorrow night to hear the Gise or chorus at Messian. The sky was rather cloudy for instantaneous work—I am promising myself the pleasure of seeing the ones you both as soon as you will let me come to see you—I can come almost any evening next week so far as I now know—I want to Bay Head again last Saturday and succeeded in getting in three sea barks not-

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:39:15 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:28:17 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:47:37 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:51 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Correspondence_Henry_Kipling"

Parent

01KC28TT5KXGCKTCP8DD89H1NR

No children (leaf entity)