Alice Austen Family Papers: Correspondence and Related Materials, 1895

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:56:33 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:29:58 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Family Papers: Correspondence and Related Materials, 1895

Overview

This digitized collection comprises the personal correspondence, calling cards, negative sleeves, and related documents of Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) and her network for the year 1895. The materials are presented as scanned JPEG images of handwritten letters, envelopes, and social cards, accompanied by typed transcriptions in TXT format. The collection is organized into year‑based folders that group the documents chronologically.

Background

Alice Austen was a pioneering American photographer based in Rosebank, Staten Island. In the 1890s she ran a successful portrait studio, sold photographic prints, and maintained an extensive social circle of friends, family, and business associates. The 1895 papers were compiled by the Alice Austen House Museum to preserve the day‑to‑day correspondence that illustrates Austen’s professional activities, social engagements, and personal relationships.

Contents

The collection contains 30–40 handwritten letters from correspondents such as Julia T. Martin (Albany), Bessie Strong (New Brunswick), Charles Lincoln Furbush (Berlin), and others. Topics range from social events—skating parties, whist gatherings, and church services—to business matters such as the sale of photographs from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and requests for unmounted copies of her “birch bark canoe” image. Wedding announcements, invitations, and calling cards for local marriages (e.g., Louise Johnston‑Grant, Hopsone Stone) are also included. Negative sleeves and photographs of the Fair, Lake George, and other scenic subjects appear in the collection, underscoring Austen’s dual role as photographer and socialite. Transcriptions provide readable versions of the handwritten material, facilitating research.

Scope

The archive covers the calendar year 1895, documenting Austen’s correspondence across a wide geographic range—Staten Island, Santa Barbara, Berlin, Roswell, and New Brunswick—while reflecting the social customs of upper‑middle‑class New York society. The collection is limited to personal letters, calling cards, and photographic materials; it does not include Austen’s studio records or broader family papers from other years. It offers a concise snapshot of Austen’s professional and personal life during a formative period of her career.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@rosebank:place {city: "Staten Island", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@julia_t_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", location: @santa_barbara_ca}

@santa_barbara_ca:place {state: @california, country: @united_states}

@charles_lincoln_furbush:person {full_name: "Charles Lincoln Furbush", location: @berlin_germany}

@berlin_germany:place {country: @germany}

@tq_browne_jr:person {full_name: "T. Q. Browne Jr.", location: @roswell_nm}

@roswell_nm:place {state: @new_mexico, country: @united_states}

@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong", location: @new_brunswick_nj}

@new_brunswick_nj:place {state: @new_jersey, country: @united_states}

@lewis_austen:person {full_name: "Lewis Austen", affiliation: @company_b_7th_reg_nat_guard}

@company_b_7th_reg_nat_guard:organization {type: "National Guard unit"}

@robert_c_lowry:person {full_name: "Robert C. Lowry", location: @grand_cascadia_ny}

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

@daisy_m_e:person {full_name: "Daisy M. E.", location: @rosebank}

@daisy_elliot:person {full_name: "Daisy Elliot", location: @san_servan_france}

@san_servan_france:place {country: @france}

@jessie_w_munroe:person {full_name: "Jessie W. Munroe", location: @rosebank}

@erickson_n_nichols:person {full_name: "Erickson N. Nichols", location: @rosebank}

@julie_bredt:person {full_name: "Julie Bredt"}

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

@isabella_king:person {full_name: "Isabella King", occupation: "photograph buyer", location: @rosebank}

@staten_island_bicycle_club:organization {type: "social club"}

@trude:person {full_name: "Trude", location: @lake_kushaqua_ny}

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

@photograph_fair:document {subject: "World's Columbian Exposition (1893)", creator: @alice_austen}

@photograph_birch_bark_canoe:document {subject: "Birch bark canoe", creator: @alice_austen}

@photograph_lake_george:document {subject: "Lake George", creator: @alice_austen}

@photograph_oyster_openers:document {subject: "Oyster openers", creator: @alice_austen}

@photograph_aunties:document {subject: "Aunties on oyster heap", creator: @alice_austen}

@photograph_old_woman_new_brunswick:document {subject: "Old woman at New Brunswick", creator: @alice_austen}

@photograph_necker_valley:document {subject: "Necker Valley", creator: @alice_austen}

@photograph_old_schloss:document {subject: "Old Schloss", creator: @alice_austen}

@boarding_house:place {type: "boarding house", location: @rosebank}

@worlds_columbian_exposition_1893:event {date: @date_1893, location: @chicago_il}

@chicago_il:place {state: @illinois, country: @united_states}

@letter_jan14_1895_martin:document {date: @date_1895_01_14, from: @julia_t_martin, to: @alice_austen, subject: "House description and palms"}

@julia_t_martin -> wrote -> @letter_jan14_1895_martin

@letter_jan20_1895_furbush:document {date: @date_1895_01_20, from: @charles_lincoln_furbush, to: @alice_austen, request: "unmounted copies of birch bark canoe photograph"}

@charles_lincoln_furbush -> wrote -> @letter_jan20_1895_furbush

@letter_jan31_1895_browne:document {date: @date_1895_01_31, from: @tq_browne_jr, to: @alice_austen, content: "Winter conditions, photography, boarding house"}

@tq_browne_jr -> wrote -> @letter_jan31_1895_browne

@letter_feb26_1895_martin:document {date: @date_1895_02_26, from: @julia_t_martin, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Boat letter, clothing purchases"}

@julia_t_martin -> wrote -> @letter_feb26_1895_martin

@letter_apr14_1895_strong:document {date: @date_1895_04_14, from: @bessie_strong, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Bicycle club, Washington congress"}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @letter_apr14_1895_strong

@letter_jun18_1895_martin:document {date: @date_1895_06_18, from: @julia_t_martin, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Boarding house, bicycle lessons"}

@julia_t_martin -> wrote -> @letter_jun18_1895_martin

@letter_jul29_1895_bicycle_club:document {date: @date_1895_07_29, from: @daisy_m_e, to: @alice_austen, content: "Friendship, Violet"}

@daisy_m_e -> wrote -> @letter_jul29_1895_bicycle_club

@letter_aug19_1895_martin:document {date: @date_1895_08_19, from: @julia_t_martin, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Sanitorium plans"}

@julia_t_martin -> wrote -> @letter_aug19_1895_martin

@letter_aug28_1895_trude:document {date: @date_1895_08_28, from: @trude, to: @alice_austen, location: @lake_kushaqua_ny, content: "Adirondack retreat"}

@trude -> wrote -> @letter_aug28_1895_trude

@letter_nov7_1895_strong:document {date: @date_1895_11_07, from: @bessie_strong, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Visit, bicycle, DAR congress"}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @letter_nov7_1895_strong

@letter_nov27_1895_martin:document {date: @date_1895_11_27, from: @julia_t_martin, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Englishman, morphine, sanitarium"}

@julia_t_martin -> wrote -> @letter_nov27_1895_martin

@letter_dec28_1895_strong:document {date: @date_1895_12_28, from: @bessie_strong, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Silk‑winder, guests"}

@bessie_strong -> wrote -> @letter_dec28_1895_strong

@alice_austen -> sold -> @photograph_fair {buyer: @isabella_king, year: @date_1895}

@alice_austen -> sent -> @photograph_birch_bark_canoe {to: @charles_lincoln_furbush, date: @date_1895_01_20}

@alice_austen -> operated -> @boarding_house

@alice_austen -> member of -> @staten_island_bicycle_club

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> [@julia_t_martin, @charles_lincoln_furbush, @tq_browne_jr, @bessie_strong, @lewis_austen, @robert_c_lowry, @daisy_m_e, @daisy_elliot, @jessie_w_munroe, @erickson_n_nichols, @julie_bredt, @violet_m_e_ward, @isabella_king]

@wedding_thurber_simmons_1895_06_03:event {date: @date_1895_06_03, location: @rosebank}

@wedding_austen_sawyer_1895_06_12:event {date: @date_1895_06_12, location: @rosebank}

@wedding_ripley_1895_06_18:event {date: @date_1895_06_18, location: @rosebank}

@wedding_louise_johnston_grant_1895_10_10:event {date: @date_1895_10_10, location: @first_presbyterian_church_edgewater}

@first_presbyterian_church_edgewater:place {city: "Edgewater", borough: @staten_island_ny}

@wedding_hopsone_stone_1895_11_14:event {date: @date_1895_11_14, location: @all_souls_church_ny}

@all_souls_church_ny:place {city: "New York", borough: @new_york}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @collection_austen_family_papers:document {title: "Alice Austen Family Papers: Correspondence and Related Materials, 1895", creator: @alice_austen, year: @date_1895, subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Calling cards","Photography business","Social life"]}

@collection_austen_family_papers -> contains -> [@letter_jan14_1895_martin, @letter_jan20_1895_furbush, @letter_jan31_1895_browne, @letter_feb26_1895_martin, @letter_apr14_1895_strong, @letter_jun18_1895_martin, @letter_jul29_1895_bicycle_club, @letter_aug19_1895_martin, @letter_aug28_1895_trude, @letter_nov7_1895_strong, @letter_nov27_1895_martin, @letter_dec28_1895_strong]

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:56:33 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:22:21 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 8:05:07 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:29:58 PM · View this version
    "Alphabetical chunk 1/3 (40 files)"

Additional Components (40)

Click to expand and load individual components

1895 transcriptions.docx.ref.json
1895 transcriptions.txt
1895_1-14-Jan 2001-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2002-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2003-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2004-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2005-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2006-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2007-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2008p-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2009-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-14-Jan 2010-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-20-Jan 1001-furbush copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-20-Jan 1002-furbush copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-20-Jan 1003-furbush copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-31-T Q Browne Jr 31 Jan 1895001 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-31-T Q Browne Jr 31 Jan 1895002 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-31-T Q Browne Jr 31 Jan 1895003 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-31-T Q Browne Jr 31 Jan 1895004 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-31-T Q Browne Jr 31 Jan 1895005 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_1-Jan 3001 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_10-10-Sept 1001 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-14-Nov 4001 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-16-Nov 1 001 copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2001-martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2002-martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2003-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2004-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2005-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2006-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2007-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2008-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-27-Nov 2009-Martin copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-7-Nov 3001-Strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-7-Nov 3002-Strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-7-Nov 3003-Strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-7-Nov 3004-Strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_11-7-Nov 3005-strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_12-28-Dec 2001-Strong copy.jpg.ref.json
1895_12-28-Dec 2002-Strong copy.jpg.ref.json

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01KC260SGBNB1603JQ8PGD7551

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