Alice Austen Correspondence with Charles B. Hurd
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:42:46 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:29:17 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen Correspondence with Charles B. Hurd
Overview
This collection comprises a small set of digitized materials documenting a brief exchange of letters between Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) and Charles B. Hurd, dated 23–24 May 1892. The items are scanned JPEG images of handwritten correspondence, accompanied by OCR‑derived text. The collection is housed in the Alice Austen House Museum on Staten Island, New York, and is presented in English. It illustrates a personal invitation and its reply, reflecting the social and travel practices of late‑Victorian Staten Island society.Background
Alice Austen was a pioneering photographer and a prominent member of Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class community. The Alice Austen House preserves her personal papers, including letters that reveal her social network and professional activities. Charles B. Hurd, a contemporary of Austen’s, appears in the collection as a friend and correspondent. The letters were originally written on paper and later digitized by the museum’s archival team, providing a window into the everyday correspondence of the period.Contents
- Three JPEG scans (7001, 7002, 7003) of a single letter from Hurd to Austen, dated 24 May 1892, with OCR text capturing the letter’s content.
- An invitation letter from Austen to Hurd, dated 23 May 1892, inviting him to visit her in Clifton, Staten Island.
- The scanned images include handwritten signatures, dates, and place references (Clifton, Staten Island, New Brunswick).
- OCR text provides a readable transcription of the letters, highlighting themes of travel, weather, and social engagement.
Scope
The collection covers a narrow temporal window—one week in May 1892—and focuses on a single exchange of correspondence. It documents the invitation of a social visit and the respondent’s acceptance, offering insight into the mobility and social rituals of the era. The materials are limited to this specific correspondence and do not include other letters or ancillary documents. The collection is valuable for researchers studying late‑19th‑century social networks, travel patterns, and the personal life of Alice Austen.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}
@charles_b_hurd:person {full_name: "Charles B. Hurd"}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@clifton:place {city: "Clifton", located_in: @staten_island, country: @united_states}
@new_brunswick:place {city: "New Brunswick", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@alice_austen_correspondence_with_charles_b_hurd:collection {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Charles B. Hurd", creator: @charles_b_hurd, created: @date_1892_05_23, institution: "Alice Austen House", language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Social life","Travel","Invitations"]}
@letter_1892_05_24_1:document {date: @date_1892_05_24, from: @charles_b_hurd, to: @alice_austen, type: "letter"}
@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @charles_b_hurd {when: @date_1892_05_24, via: @letter_1892_05_24_1}
@charles_b_hurd -> wrote -> @letter_1892_05_24_1
@letter_1892_05_24_1 -> mentions -> [@clifton, @staten_island, @new_brunswick]
@alice_austen -> invited -> @charles_b_hurd {when: @date_1892_05_23, via: @alice_austen_correspondence_with_charles_b_hurd}Metadata
Files (3)
1892_5-24-May 7001-ludlow copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Miss Alice Austen Clifton Staten Island N.Y.
1892_5-24-May 7002-Ludlow copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
New Brunswick May 23rd My dear Miss Austen, It was very kind of you to extend your invitation to this week & I shall take great pleasure in availing myself of it on Wednesday. Of course if the weather should be such as we have been having.
1892_5-24-May 7003-Ludlow copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
you will agree with me that I had better stay at home. But I think we can safely anticipate something better now. I shall make for the 4 3rd boat & will follow your directions as to the jumping off place. The new New Brunswick news can safely keep until I see you, as I shall have to make most of it up anyway. With best wishes, Very sincerely, Charles B. Hurd
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:42:46 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:38:55 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:50:06 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:29:17 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Correspondence_Charles_Ludlow"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)