Alice Austen Family Papers Documentation

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:39:29 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:24:57 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Family Papers Documentation

Overview

The Alice Austen Family Papers Documentation is a 2023 archival collection produced by the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York. It comprises digital documentation files that accompany the digitized Alice Austen Family Papers, a broader collection of personal correspondence, photographs, and related materials spanning 1883‑1898. The documentation collection is organized into a single folder containing a Word document titled 1891‑Letter‑Transcriptions‑and‑Notes.docx and associated metadata files.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer whose work and personal papers provide insight into late‑Victorian social life among Staten Island’s upper‑middle class. The Alice Austen House Museum curates and digitizes these papers to preserve Austen’s legacy. The documentation files were created to support researchers by providing transcriptions of handwritten letters and editorial notes, thereby enhancing accessibility and facilitating scholarly analysis.

Contents

  • 1891‑Letter‑Transcriptions‑and‑Notes.docx – A Microsoft Word document containing typed transcriptions of letters written in 1891, accompanied by editorial notes that contextualize the correspondence. The file is an image/asset with OCR metadata, though no OCR text is available.
  • Metadata and descriptive files – JSON and other supporting files that record the collection’s provenance, subject headings, and access information.
  • Access URL placeholder – A link placeholder for future online access to the digitized documents.

Scope

The documentation collection focuses exclusively on the 1891 correspondence within the larger Alice Austen Family Papers. It does not include photographs, negative sleeves, or other years’ letters. The material covers personal relationships, social events, and business matters relevant to Austen’s life and work during that year, providing a focused lens on her network of friends, family, and professional contacts.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

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

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

@alice_austen_family_papers:collection {span: {start: @date_1883, end: @date_1898}, folder_count: 15, content_types: ["Photographs", "Transcriptions"], themes: ["Social life", "Photography business", "Personal relationships", "Family matters", "Music"]}

@file_pinax:file {title: "Alice Austen Family Papers Documentation", creator: @alice_austen_house_museum, created: @date_2023, language: "en", subjects: [@alice_austen, "Photography", "Archival Collections", "Documentation"], description: "Documentation files for the digitized Alice Austen Family Papers collection, containing transcriptions and notes from 1891 correspondence.", place: @staten_island}

@file_1891_letter_transcriptions_and_notes_docx:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR", note: "No OCR text available"}

@julia_t_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", relationship: "close friend", location: @albany}

@julie_bredt:person {full_name: "Julie Bredt"}

@violet_m_e_ward:person {full_name: "Violet M.E. Ward"}

@isabella_king:person {full_name: "Isabella King", role: "photograph buyer"}

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

@worlds_columbian_exposition:event {year: @date_1893, location: @chicago}

@grandfather:person {relationship: "grandfather of @alice_austen"} -> died -> @date_1894_04

@steinway_piano:concept {type: "Steinway piano"}

@social_life:concept {description: "Skating parties, sleigh rides, church events, whist parties"}

@photography_business:concept {description: "Alice sold photographs, including images from the Fair"}

@personal_relationships:concept {description: "Letters from close friends"}

@family_matters:concept {description: "Sympathy letters regarding grandfather's death"}

@music:concept {description: "Correspondence about purchasing a Steinway piano"}

@alice_austen -> lived in -> @staten_island

@alice_austen -> created -> @alice_austen_family_papers

@alice_austen_family_papers -> documented by -> @file_pinax

@alice_austen_family_papers -> contains -> @file_1891_letter_transcriptions_and_notes_docx

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @julia_t_martin

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @julie_bredt

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @violet_m_e_ward

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @isabella_king

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @bessie_strong

@alice_austen -> sold photographs at -> @worlds_columbian_exposition

@alice_austen -> purchased -> @steinway_piano {context: "correspondence about purchasing a Steinway piano"}

@alice_austen -> received sympathy letters regarding -> @grandfather {when: @date_1894_04}

@alice_austen_family_papers -> has theme -> @social_life

@alice_austen_family_papers -> has theme -> @photography_business

@alice_austen_family_papers -> has theme -> @personal_relationships

@alice_austen_family_papers -> has theme -> @family_matters

@alice_austen_family_papers -> has theme -> @music

Metadata

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Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:39:29 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:29:23 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:47:49 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:24:57 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Documentation"

Parent

01KC28TT5KXGCKTCP8DD89H1NR

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