1892_12-29-Dec 5002-strong copy.jpg

Alice Austen Financial Records

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:40:48 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:27:03 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Financial Records – Expense List, 29 December 1892

Overview

This collection comprises a single digitized expense record from the personal papers of Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952), a pioneering Staten Island photographer. The item is a scanned JPEG image of a handwritten list dated 29 December 1892, accompanied by OCR‑derived text. It is part of the Alice Austen House Museum’s archival holdings and is catalogued under the broader “Alice Austen Family Papers (MS1).”

Background

Alice Austen maintained meticulous financial documentation to manage her photography studio and personal expenditures. The record reflects Victorian‑era bookkeeping practices and offers insight into the economic realities of a female entrepreneur in late‑nineteenth‑century New York. The manuscript was created on the day of the record’s entry and preserved in Austen’s original notebooks, later digitised for the museum’s online collection.

Contents

The collection contains:
  • Photograph – A high‑resolution JPEG (420 KB) of the handwritten expense list.
  • OCR Text – Machine‑read transcription of the list, listing individual items and monetary amounts (e.g., “2.00, 3.00, 16.00, 1.60, 17.60, 27.00, 84 4.60, 2.13, 2.49, 1.53‑87, 1.40, 2.08, 2.13, 42.47, 41.22 10, 41.22 10, 31, 23, 64, 2.50, 11.50”).
  • Metadata – Provenance details (creator: Alice Austen; institution: Alice Austen House; place: Staten Island, NY; language: English; subjects: financial records, expenses, Victorian‑era finances, personal finances).

Scope

The record documents a snapshot of Austen’s financial activity on a single day, likely related to studio supplies, travel, or personal purchases. While the collection is limited to this one entry, it exemplifies the broader practice of systematic expense tracking in Austen’s business. The item is relevant to researchers studying women’s entrepreneurship, photographic commerce, and domestic economics in the Gilded Age. It does not include correspondence or other financial documents, which are housed separately within the family papers.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

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

@alice_austen_house:organization {type: "museum", location: @staten_island_ny}

@financial_records_collection:document {title: "Alice Austen Financial Records", creator: @alice_austen, created: @date_1892_12_29, description: "Collection of financial records from Alice Austen's personal papers, including expense lists and financial transactions.", institution: @alice_austen_house, subjects: ["Financial records", "Expenses", "Victorian-era finances", "Personal finances"]}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @financial_records_collection

@expense_record_1892_12_29:document {type: "expense list", source: @file_1892_12_29_dec_5002_strong_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_12_29, description: "Scanned image of a handwritten expense list with OCR text containing monetary amounts."}

@file_1892_12_29_dec_5002_strong_copy_jpg -> image of -> @expense_record_1892_12_29

@financial_records_collection -> contains -> @expense_record_1892_12_29

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

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

@julie_bredt:person {full_name: "Julie Bredt", relationship: "friend"}

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

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

@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong", relationship: "friend"}

@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 from -> @worlds_columbian_exposition_1893 {event: "World's Columbian Exposition", year: @date_1893}

Metadata

Files (1)

1892_12-29-Dec 5002-strong copy.jpgJPEG
410.96 KB
OCR Text

2.00 3.00 16.00 1.60 17.60 27.00 84 4.60 2.13 2.49 1.53-87 1.40 2.08 2.13 42.47 41.22 10 41.22 10 31 23 64 2.50 11.50

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:40:48 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:32:18 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:48:54 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:27:03 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Financial_Records"

Parent

01KC28TPDYRTR6DTTFE9GZE3FA

No children (leaf entity)