Alice Austen Envelopes Collection, 1892
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:40:51 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:27:00 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen Envelopes Collection, 1892
Overview
The Alice Austen Envelopes Collection is a digitized assemblage of ten paper envelopes addressed to Elizabeth Alice Austen in 1892. Each item is presented as a high‑resolution JPEG scan accompanied by OCR‑derived text. The envelopes, dated between October and December 1892, were sent from a range of locations on Staten Island and Brooklyn Heights, reflecting Austen’s social and professional network during the late Victorian era.Background
Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer and socialite from Staten Island. The collection is housed in the Alice Austen House Museum, a historic site preserving Austen’s life and work. While Austen is best known for her photographic oeuvre, this archival set offers insight into her personal correspondence and the everyday postal practices of the period. The envelopes were likely collected by Austen or her estate and digitized by the museum’s archival team as part of a broader effort to document her personal papers.Contents
- Envelope images: Ten JPEG scans, each depicting the front of a sealed envelope.
- OCR text: Machine‑generated transcriptions of the visible handwriting, including sender names, dates, and addresses.
- Metadata: Each envelope is tagged with the sender (e.g., Julia T. Martin, Bessie Strong, E. Lynch, Gilman, Delta Chapter), the date of dispatch, and the recipient’s address.
- Representative examples:
The envelopes collectively illustrate Austen’s connections with friends, family, and professional contacts, and they provide tangible evidence of Victorian‑era postal customs and the geographic spread of her social circle.
Scope
The collection covers a single calendar year (1892) and focuses exclusively on envelopes addressed to Alice Austen. It includes correspondence from a small but varied group of acquaintances, primarily located in Staten Island (Rosebank, Clifton) and Brooklyn Heights. The material does not encompass the content of the letters themselves, only the physical envelopes and associated metadata. The collection is valuable for researchers studying late‑19th‑century social networks, postal history, and the personal life of a prominent photographer.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island}
@alice_austen_house:organization {type: "museum", location: @staten_island}
@alice_austen_envelopes_collection:collection {title: "Alice Austen Envelopes Collection, 1892", creator: @alice_austen, institution: @alice_austen_house, year: @date_1892, subjects: ["Correspondence","Envelopes","Victorian-era post","Staten Island history","Social life"]}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@rosebank:place {city: @staten_island}
@clifton:place {city: @staten_island}
@brooklyn_heights:place {city: @new_york}
@albany:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@julia_t_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", relationship: "close friend", location: @albany}
@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong", relationship: "friend", location: @staten_island}
@e_lynch:person {full_name: "E. Lynch", relationship: "correspondent"}
@gilman:person {full_name: "Gilman", relationship: "correspondent"}
@delta_chapter:organization {type: "photography club"}
@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen_envelopes_collection
@envelope_1892_10_09_martin:document {date: @date_1892_10_09, recipient: @alice_austen, sender: @julia_t_martin}
@file_1892_10_9_oct_2001_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_10_09_martin
@envelope_1892_11_18_strong:document {date: @date_1892_11_18, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @rosebank, sender: @bessie_strong}
@file_1892_11_18_nov_2001_strong_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_11_18_strong
@envelope_1892_11_02_martin:document {date: @date_1892_11_02, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @rosebank, sender: @julia_t_martin}
@file_1892_11_2_nov_1001_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_11_02_martin
@envelope_1892_11_27_lynch:document {date: @date_1892_11_27, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @clifton, sender: @e_lynch}
@file_1892_11_27_e_lynch_1892_nov_27001_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_11_27_lynch
@envelope_1892_11_30_martin:document {date: @date_1892_11_30, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @brooklyn_heights, sender: @julia_t_martin}
@file_1892_11_nov_3001_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_11_30_martin
@envelope_1892_12_02_delta:document {date: @date_1892_12_02, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @clifton, sender: @delta_chapter}
@file_1892_12_2_delta_chapter_001_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_12_02_delta
@envelope_1892_12_26_martin:document {date: @date_1892_12_26, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @rosebank, sender: @julia_t_martin}
@file_1892_12_26_dec_4001_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_12_26_martin
@envelope_1892_12_26_gilman:document {date: @date_1892_12_26, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @clifton, sender: @gilman}
@file_1892_12_26_unknown_sender_envelope_dec_25001_gilman_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_12_26_gilman
@envelope_1892_12_29_strong:document {date: @date_1892_12_29, recipient: @alice_austen, address: @rosebank, sender: @bessie_strong}
@file_1892_12_29_dec_5001_strong_copy_jpg -> documents -> @envelope_1892_12_29_strongMetadata
Files (9)
1892_10-9-Oct 2001-martin copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Austin Rose Lench Helen Plued N Y
1892_11-18-Nov 2001-strong copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss E.A. Austin Rosebank Staten Island N.Y.
1892_11-2-Nov 1001-martin copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Austen Rosebank Staten Island N.Y.
1892_11-27-E Lynch 1892 Nov 27001 copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Muller Clifton Staten Island N.Y. FLUSHING NOV 28 1892 N.Y.
1892_11-Nov 3001-martin copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Austen. Brooklyn H Staten Island N.Y.
1892_12-2-delta chapter 001 copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Austin Clifton Staten Island.
1892_12-26-Dec 4001-martin copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Austin, Rosebank Staten Island, N.Y.
1892_12-26-unknown sender envelope Dec 25001-Gilman.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Mrs E. Alice Austin Clifton (Richmond Co.) Staten Island New York
1892_12-29-Dec 5001-strong copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss E. A. Austin Rosebank. Staten Island, New York
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:40:51 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:32:29 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:48:52 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:27:00 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Envelopes"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)