Austen Family Papers Correspondence Collection

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:37:41 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:28:41 PM

Added description

Description

Austen Family Papers Correspondence Collection (1890)

Overview

The Austen Family Papers Correspondence Collection is a digitized assemblage of personal letters, envelopes, calling cards, and related ephemera from 1890, housed at the Alice Austen House in Staten Island, New York. The collection is presented as a series of JPEG scans of original documents, accompanied by typed transcriptions in plain‑text files. It is organized into year‑based folders, with the 1890 folder containing the bulk of the material examined here.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer and a prominent member of Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class society. The letters in this collection were written to Austen by friends and relatives—most notably Florence Lodor, Julia Bredt, and Nellie Austen—providing a window into the social, artistic, and familial networks that surrounded her life. The Alice Austen House, now a museum, preserves these documents as part of its broader effort to document Austen’s personal and professional world.

Correspondence: 18 handwritten letters dated March–October 1890, including a March 13 letter from Florence Lodor, a series of September letters from Julia Bredt (5002–5007, 50001), and three March letters from Nellie Austen.
Envelopes & Calling Cards: Photographic scans of envelopes addressed to Austen and Victorian‑era calling cards bearing her name and social titles.
Negative Sleeves: Photographic sleeves related to Austen’s studio work, indicating her commercial photography activities.
Transcriptions: Typed versions of each letter in TXT format, facilitating textual analysis.

Key themes emerging from the letters include social events (skating parties, whist gatherings), photography business (sales of images from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition), personal relationships, family matters (sympathy for a deceased grandfather), and cultural interests (music, such as a Steinway piano purchase).

Scope

The collection covers the year 1890, primarily centered on Staten Island but also referencing locations such as Chitten, Bethlehem (Pennsylvania), Fort Washington, and New York City. It reflects the social customs of late‑Victorian America, the professional life of a female photographer, and the intimate correspondence of a well‑connected family. The materials are in English, with no specified copyright restrictions, and are accessible through the Alice Austen House’s digital repository (access URL placeholder).

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@florence_lodor:person {full_name: "Florence Lodor"}

@julia_bredt:person {full_name: "Julia Bredt"}

@nellie_austen:person {full_name: "Nellie Austen"}

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

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

@bethlehem_pa:place {state: @pennsylvania, country: @united_states}

@fort_washington:place {state: @pennsylvania, country: @united_states}

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

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

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

@date_1890_03_13 {year: 1890, month: 3, day: 13}

@date_1890_10 {year: 1890, month: 10}

@date_1890_09 {year: 1890, month: 9}

@letter_florence_lodor_1890_03_13:document {author: @florence_lodor, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_03_13, source_file: @file_florence_lodor_13_march_1890_001_jpg}

@florence_lodor -> wrote -> @letter_florence_lodor_1890_03_13 {when: @date_1890_03_13}

@letter_florence_lodor_1890_03_13 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_florence_lodor_1890_03_13 -> originated from -> @chitten

@letter_julia_bredt_oct_1890_1:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_10, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_oct_1890_1_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_oct_1890_1 {when: @date_1890_10}

@letter_julia_bredt_oct_1890_1 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_oct_1890_2:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_10, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_oct_1890_2_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_oct_1890_2 {when: @date_1890_10}

@letter_julia_bredt_oct_1890_2 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5002:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_09, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_sept_1890_5002_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5002 {when: @date_1890_09}

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5002 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5003:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_09, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_sept_1890_5003_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5003 {when: @date_1890_09}

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5003 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5004:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_09, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_sept_1890_5004_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5004 {when: @date_1890_09}

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5004 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5005:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_09, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_sept_1890_5005_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5005 {when: @date_1890_09}

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5005 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5006:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_09, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_sept_1890_5006_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5006 {when: @date_1890_09}

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5006 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5007:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_09, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_sept_1890_5007_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5007 {when: @date_1890_09}

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_1890_5007 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_18905001:document {author: @julia_bredt, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_09, source_file: @file_julia_bredt_sept_18905001_jpg}

@julia_bredt -> wrote -> @letter_julia_bredt_sep_18905001 {when: @date_1890_09}

@letter_julia_bredt_sep_18905001 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_1:document {author: @nellie_austen, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_03, source_file: @file_nellie_austen_march_1890_1_jpg}

@nellie_austen -> wrote -> @letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_1 {when: @date_1890_03}

@letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_1 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_2:document {author: @nellie_austen, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_03, source_file: @file_nellie_austen_march_1890_2_jpg}

@nellie_austen -> wrote -> @letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_2 {when: @date_1890_03}

@letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_2 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_3:document {author: @nellie_austen, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1890_03, source_file: @file_nellie_austen_march_1890_3_jpg}

@nellie_austen -> wrote -> @letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_3 {when: @date_1890_03}

@letter_nellie_austen_mar_1890_3 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@alice_austen -> sold photographs -> @worlds_columbian_exposition:event {year: @date_1893, location: @chicago}

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

Metadata

Title: Austen Family Papers Correspondence Collection
Type: Collection
Creator: Alice AustenFlorence LodorJulia BredtNellie Austen
Institution: Alice Austen House
Created: 1890
Language: en
Subjects: Correspondence, Social life, Photography, Family matters, Music, Victorian-era social customs, Upper-middle-class life
Place: Staten Island, NY, Chitten, NY, Bethlehem, PA, Fort Washington, PA, New York, NY
Source: PINAX

Version History (4 versions)

✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:37:41 PM
"Added description"
v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:25:14 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction"
v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:46:41 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata"
v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:28:41 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Reference_Files"

Additional Components (16)

Click to expand and load individual components

Florence Lodor 13 March 1890 001.jpg.ref.json

Florence Lodor 13 March 1890 002.jpg.ref.json

Florence Lodor 13 March 1890 003.jpg.ref.json

Florence Lodor 13 March 1890 004.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Oct 1890 1.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Oct. 1890 2.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Sept 1890 5002.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Sept 1890 5003.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Sept 1890 5004.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Sept 1890 5005.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Sept 1890 5006.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Sept 1890 5007.jpg.ref.json

Julia Bredt Sept 18905001.jpg.ref.json

Nellie Austen March 1890 1.jpg.ref.json

Nellie Austen March 1890 2.jpg.ref.json

Nellie Austen March 1890 3.jpg.ref.json

Parent

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