1892_12-Dec 2005 copy.jpg

Alice Austen Calling Cards Collection

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:41:07 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:26:53 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Calling Cards Collection

Overview

The Alice Austen Calling Cards Collection is a small, digitized set of Victorian‑era calling cards drawn from Elizabeth Alice Austen’s personal papers. The cards were created in December 1892 and are preserved as high‑resolution JPEG scans. The collection is housed in the Alice Austen House Museum’s archival holdings and is part of the broader Austen Family Papers (MS1).

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer and a prominent member of Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class society. Calling cards were a common social custom in the late 19th century, used to invite acquaintances to gatherings, announce visits, or convey polite greetings. Austen’s cards, produced in Clifton, Staten Island, reflect the social networks of her family and friends and provide insight into the civic life of the borough during the 1890s.

Contents

The collection contains three distinct cards, each scanned in JPEG format:
  • Card 2005 – Sent by Mrs. George Lord, addressed to Clifton, Staten Island. The card’s text simply reads “Mrs. George Lord. Clifton, Staten Island.”
  • Card 3002 – Sent jointly by Mrs. Abraham Mills and Miss Amy Hawxhurst Mills, inviting recipients to “Mondays in January” at 416 East Twenty‑ninth Street.
  • Card 3003 – Also sent by Mrs. Abraham Mills and Miss Amy Hawxhurst Mills, announcing a Saturday, December 17, 1892 gathering from four to seven o’clock at 116 East Twenty‑ninth Street.

    • Each card is accompanied by OCR‑derived text that confirms the sender, address, and event details. The images capture the ornate Victorian design typical of the era’s social invitations.

    Scope

    The collection covers a narrow temporal window—December 1892—and focuses on social invitations within the upper‑middle‑class community of Clifton, Staten Island. It documents specific events (weekly gatherings and a Saturday party) and illustrates the use of calling cards as a medium for social coordination. The collection does not include correspondence, photographs, or other materials from Austen’s broader photographic practice, but it complements those holdings by providing a glimpse into her personal social milieu.

    Raw Cheimarros Data

    @alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}

@date_1866

@date_1952

@date_1892_12

@date_1892_12_17

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

@clifton:place {city: @staten_island, borough: @staten_island}

@416_east_29th_street:place {address: "416 East Twenty-ninth Street", city: @clifton}

@116_east_29th_street:place {address: "116 East Twenty-ninth Street", city: @clifton}

@george_lord:person {full_name: "George Lord"}

@mrs_george_lord:person {full_name: "Mrs. George Lord", relation: "spouse of George Lord"}

@abraham_mills:person {full_name: "Abraham Mills"}

@amy_hawxhurst_mills:person {full_name: "Amy Hawxhurst Mills"}

@austen_calling_cards:collection {title: "Alice Austen Calling Cards Collection", creator: @alice_austen, institution: "Alice Austen House", created: @date_1892_12, subjects: ["Calling cards", "Victorian social customs", "Staten Island", "Upper-middle-class life"], description: "A collection of Victorian-era calling cards from Alice Austen's personal papers, primarily from December 1892. These cards represent social connections and events in late 19th-century Staten Island society."}

@file_pinax -> describes -> @austen_calling_cards

@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_1892_12_dec_2005_copy_jpg

@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_1892_12_dec_3002_copy_jpg

@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_1892_12_dec_3003_copy_jpg

@file_1892_12_dec_2005_copy_jpg -> documents -> @card_2005:document {sender: @mrs_george_lord, location: @clifton, date: @date_1892_12}

@file_1892_12_dec_3002_copy_jpg -> documents -> @card_3002:document {senders: [@mrs_abraham_mills, @amy_hawxhurst_mills], note: "Mondays in January", location: @416_east_29th_street, date: @date_1892_12}

@mrs_abraham_mills:person {full_name: "Mrs. Abraham Mills", relation: "spouse of Abraham Mills"}

@file_1892_12_dec_3003_copy_jpg -> documents -> @card_3003:document {senders: [@mrs_abraham_mills, @amy_hawxhurst_mills], event: @dec_17_1892_event:event, location: @116_east_29th_street, date: @date_1892_12}

@dec_17_1892_event:event {date: @date_1892_12_17, time: "16:00-19:00", description: "Saturday, December seventeenth, from four until seven o'clock"}

    Metadata

    Title
    Alice Austen Calling Cards Collection
    Type
    Collection
    Creator
    Austen, Elizabeth Alice
    Institution
    Alice Austen House
    Created
    1892-12
    Language
    en
    Subjects
    Calling cards, Victorian social customs, Staten Island, Upper-middle-class life
    Place
    Clifton, Staten Island, 416 East Twenty-ninth Street, 116 East Twenty-ninth Street
    Source
    PINAX

    Files (3)

    1892_12-Dec 2005 copy.jpgJPEG
    113.14 KB
    OCR Text

    Mrs. George Lord. Clifton, Staten Island.

    1892_12-Dec 3002 copy.jpgJPEG
    181.55 KB
    OCR Text

    Mrs. Abraham Mills Miss Amy Hawxhurst Mills Mondays in January. 416 East Twenty-ninth Street.

    1892_12-Dec 3003 copy.jpgJPEG
    201.97 KB
    OCR Text

    Mrs. Abraham Mills Miss Amy Hawxhurst Mills Saturday, December seventeenth, from four until seven o'clock. 116 East Twenty-ninth Street.

    Version History (4 versions)

    • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:41:07 PM
      "Added description"
    • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:31:51 PM · View this version
      "Added knowledge graph extraction"
    • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:49:04 PM · View this version
      "Added PINAX metadata"
    • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:26:53 PM · View this version
      "Reorganization group: Calling_Cards"

    Parent

    ↑ 01KC28TRADQCJWP4YC811VKY9V

    No children (leaf entity)