Alice Austen Envelopes Collection
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:42:29 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:29:08 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen Envelopes Collection (1892)
Overview
The Alice Austen Envelopes Collection is a digitized set of ten postal envelopes addressed to Elizabeth Alice Austen in 1892. Each item is presented as a high‑resolution JPEG scan accompanied by OCR‑derived text. The collection is housed in the Alice Austen House Museum and forms part of the larger Austen Family Papers (MS1). It offers a snapshot of Victorian‑era correspondence, illustrating the social network and postal practices of a prominent Staten Island family.Background
Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering photographer and social figure on Staten Island. In 1892, she received mail from friends, relatives, and acquaintances across New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. The envelopes were sent to her home address or to her care of relatives, reflecting the customary use of “c/o” in Victorian correspondence. The collection was assembled by the museum to preserve these primary documents and to provide researchers with insight into the daily life and connections of the Austen household.Contents
- Envelope images: Ten JPEG scans (≈600 KB–1 MB each) of envelopes bearing handwritten or printed addresses, dates, and sender/recipient details.
- OCR text: Machine‑generated transcriptions of the envelope content, including names, addresses, and dates.
- Metadata: Each item is tagged with creator (Alice Austen), dates (March–April 1892), subjects (correspondence, envelopes, Victorian postal system), and locations (New Brunswick, New Jersey; Staten Island, New York; Boston, Massachusetts).
Scope
The collection covers a single year (1892) and documents mail addressed to Alice Austen from within the United States. It focuses on personal and familial correspondence, providing evidence of social ties, geographic mobility, and postal customs of the era. The collection does not include the letters themselves, only the envelopes, and therefore represents the outer layer of communication rather than the content of the messages.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}
@julia_t_martin:person {relationship: "close friend", location: @albany}
@julie_bredt:person {relationship: "correspondent"}
@violet_m_ward:person {relationship: "correspondent"}
@isabella_king:person {relationship: "photograph buyer"}
@bessie_strong:person {relationship: "correspondent"}
@p_t_austin:person {full_name: "P. T. Austin", relation: "relative of Alice Austen"}
@p_y_austen:person {full_name: "P. Y. Austen", relation: "relative of Alice Austen"}
@j_austin:person {full_name: "J. Austin"}
@p_s_austen:person {full_name: "P. S. Austen", relation: "relative of Alice Austen"}
@union_street:place {city: @new_brunswick, state: @new_jersey}
@locust_pl:place {city: @new_brunswick, state: @new_jersey}
@rosebank:place {city: @staten_island, state: @new_york}
@clifton:place {city: @staten_island, state: @new_york}
@file_pinax:document {title: "Alice Austen Envelopes Collection", creator: @alice_austen, institution: "Alice Austen House", created_year: @date_1892, subjects: ["Correspondence","Envelopes","Victorian-era postal system","Social history","Staten Island"], places: [@new_brunswick, @staten_island, @boston]}
@envelope_1892_03_05_trudie:document {source_file: @file_1892_3_5_march_15007_trudie_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_03_05}
@envelope_1892_03_05_trudie -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@envelope_1892_03_05_trudie -> care of -> @p_t_austin
@envelope_1892_03_05_trudie -> location -> @union_street
@envelope_1892_03_05_aca:document {source_file: @file_1892_3_5_march_8001_aca_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_03_05}
@envelope_1892_03_05_aca -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@envelope_1892_03_05_aca -> care of -> @p_y_austen
@envelope_1892_03_05_aca -> location -> @union_street
@envelope_1892_03_09_martin:document {source_file: @file_1892_3_9_march_3001_martin_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_03_09}
@envelope_1892_03_09_martin -> sender -> @j_austin
@envelope_1892_03_09_martin -> location -> @union_street
@envelope_1892_03_09_bredt:document {source_file: @file_1892_3_9_march_4005_bredt_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_03_09}
@envelope_1892_03_09_bredt -> sender -> @alice_austen
@envelope_1892_03_09_bredt -> recipient -> @p_t_austin
@envelope_1892_03_09_bredt -> location -> @union_street
@envelope_1892_03_09_5001:document {source_file: @file_1892_3_9_march_5001_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_03_09}
@envelope_1892_03_09_5001 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@envelope_1892_03_09_5001 -> care of -> @p_s_austen
@envelope_1892_03_09_5001 -> location -> @union_street
@envelope_1892_04_13_strong:document {source_file: @file_1892_4_13_april_7001_strong_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_04_13}
@envelope_1892_04_13_strong -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@envelope_1892_04_13_strong -> location -> @rosebank
@envelope_1892_04_17_hkg:document {source_file: @file_1892_4_17_april_4001_hkg_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_04_17}
@envelope_1892_04_17_hkg -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@envelope_1892_04_17_hkg -> location -> @clifton
@envelope_1892_04_18_martin:document {source_file: @file_1892_4_18_april_3001_martin_copy_jpg, date: @date_1892_04_18}
@envelope_1892_04_18_martin -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@envelope_1892_04_18_martin -> location -> @rosebankMetadata
Files (8)
1892_3-5-March 15007-trudie copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Austen C/o Mr. P. T. Austin Union Street New Brunswick N.J.
1892_3-5-March 8001-ACA copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Austen Care of Dr. P.Y. Austen Union St. New Brunswick, N.J.
1892_3-9-March 3001-martin copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Union St. New Brunswick N.J. 96 Locust Pl. J. Austin Austin Brooklyn Statue Island N.Y. MAR 9 'N1 CAN - 1928 BRUNSWICK MAR 11 'N1 2 PM
1892_3-9-March 4005-bredt copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss A. Austen, To Mr. P. T. Austen, Union Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
1892_3-9-March 5001 copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Austen Mrs P. S. Austen Union St. New Brunswick New Jersey Boston, Mass. 26th 92 N.J. MAR 11 M N.W. BRUNSWICK 2c UNITED STATES POSTAGE
1892_4-13-April 7001-strong copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss E. A. Austin Rosebank, Staten Island, New York.
1892_4-17-April 4001-HKG copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss E. Alice Austen Clifton Staten Island New York
1892_4-18-April 3001-martin copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Alston Rosebank Staten Island N.Y.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:42:29 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:38:37 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:49:54 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:29:08 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Envelopes"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)