Alice Austen Correspondence with Morton D. Nichols

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:44:40 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:29:14 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Correspondence with Morton D. Nichols (June 1892)

Overview

This collection comprises two handwritten letters written by Morton D. Nichols to Elizabeth Alice Austen in June 1892, accompanied by high‑resolution JPEG scans and OCR‑derived text. The letters discuss Nichols’ invitation to Austen to attend a graduation ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and reflect the social customs of the period. The material is catalogued in the Alice Austen Papers at the Alice Austen House Museum.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering Staten Island photographer whose personal papers include extensive correspondence with friends and family. Morton D. Nichols, a contemporary of Austen, wrote the letters from Holyoke House in Cambridge, where he was celebrating a graduation. The exchange illustrates the trans‑regional social networks of late‑19th‑century America and Austen’s role as a cultural representative of Staten Island.

Letter 1892‑06‑01 – Nichols invites Austen to Cambridge, praising the “Socratic daemon” that inspired the trip and noting that her presence would honor Staten Island.
Letter 1892‑06‑02 – Nichols confirms arrangements, requests Austen’s arrival date, and signs off with a friendly “Yours ever sincerely.”
Digital assets – JPEG scans of both letters (≈1.4 MB each) and OCR text extracted from the images.
Metadata – A PINAX JSON record detailing creator, dates, subjects (Correspondence, Graduation, Cambridge, Staten Island, Social Visits), and location tags.

Scope

The collection covers two specific correspondence items dated June 1892, situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and referencing Staten Island, New York. It is limited to the letters and their digital reproductions; no ancillary materials (e.g., photographs, calling cards) are included. The collection is valuable for researchers studying social practices, regional identity, and the personal networks of early American photographers.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@morton_d_nichols:person {full_name: "Morton D. Nichols"}

@massachusetts:place {country: @united_states}

@cambridge:place {state: @massachusetts, country: @united_states}

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

@holyoke_house:place {city: @cambridge}

@cambridge_graduation:event {description: "Graduation ceremony", where: @cambridge, date: @date_1892_06}

@letter_1892_06_01:document {author: @morton_d_nichols, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1892_06, location: @holyoke_house}

@letter_1892_06_02:document {author: @morton_d_nichols, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1892_06, location: @holyoke_house}

@alice_austen_correspondence_with_morton_d_nichols:document {creator: @morton_d_nichols, recipient: @alice_austen, start: @date_1892_06, description: "Correspondence discussing a visit to Cambridge for a graduation ceremony"}

@file_pinax:file {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Morton D. Nichols", type: "Metadata (PINAX)"}

@file_1892_6_june_4002_nichols_copy_jpg:file {type: "image", ocr: true}

@file_1892_6_june_4003_nichols_copy_jpg:file {type: "image", ocr: true}


@morton_d_nichols -> wrote -> @letter_1892_06_01

@morton_d_nichols -> wrote -> @letter_1892_06_02

@morton_d_nichols -> invited -> @alice_austen {event: @cambridge_graduation:event, when: @date_1892_06}

@alice_austen -> represented -> @staten_island {at: @cambridge_graduation:event}

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @morton_d_nichols {collection: @alice_austen_correspondence_with_morton_d_nichols}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen_correspondence_with_morton_d_nichols

@file_1892_6_june_4002_nichols_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1892_06_01

@file_1892_6_june_4003_nichols_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1892_06_02

Metadata

Title: Alice Austen Correspondence with Morton D. Nichols
Type: Collection
Creator: Nichols, Morton D.
Institution: Alice Austen House
Created: 1892-06
Language: en
Subjects: Correspondence, Graduation, Cambridge, Staten Island, Social Visits
Place: Cambridge, Massachusetts, Staten Island, New York
Source: PINAX

Files (2)

1892_6-June 4002-nichols copy.jpgJPEG

1.31 MB

OCR Text

35 HOLYOKE HOUSE, CAMBRIDGE. My dear Alice, What a charming surprise this is, to be sure! May the kind Socratic daemon that suggested this trip be ever praised, for it will seem so good to have Staten Island thus represented at my graduation. Of course, some of the room, what there is of it, is entirely at your disposal, and I shall look forward to seeing you and welcoming you to Cambridge. Only let me know when you see fit to come, so that I may be here to do the honors. As I do not know your address at Concord, I

1892_6-June 4003-nichols copy.jpgJPEG

1.38 MB

OCR Text

shall direct this to the Hotel. Well, I will confine myself to an essay and look forward to next week. Yours ever sincerely, Morton D. Nichols. Wednesday

Version History (4 versions)

✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:44:40 PM
"Added description"
v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:44:28 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction"
v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:51:03 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata"
v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:29:14 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Correspondence_Morton_Nichols"

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