Alice Austen Family Papers: 1898 Correspondence and Related Materials

PI

Version: 12 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:57:05 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:30:09 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Envelope Collection

Overview

The Alice Austen Envelope Collection is a digitized archive of postal envelopes associated with the correspondence of Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952), a pioneering photographer from Staten Island. The collection comprises high‑resolution JPEG scans of envelope fronts and backs, accompanied by machine‑readable metadata and OCR‑derived text. All envelopes are dated to 1898, with postmarks ranging from local (Rosebank, Asbury Park, New York) to international references (Panama Canal). The materials are housed at the Alice Austen House Museum and are available in the public domain.

Background

Alice Austen’s letters were sent and received from her Rosebank home, a hub of late‑Victorian social life among Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class families. The envelopes were preserved by the museum’s archival program, which sought to document the physical characteristics of the paper, postmark ink, and handwritten addresses to illuminate the postal practices and social networks of the era.

Contents

The collection contains three primary envelope units:
  • Envelope 1898‑07‑04 004 (Back) – Postmarked “ROSEBANK JULY 1948,” received 1948, with a “50+” note and numerical identifiers.
  • Envelope 1898‑09‑12 014 (Front) – Postmarked “A.SBURY PARK N.J.” on 12 Sep 1898, addressed to Miss Alice Austen of Rosebank, with sender and recipient both listed as Alice Austen.
  • Envelope 1898‑09‑12 014 (Back) – Postmarked “NY” on 2 Sep 1898, noting “PANAMA CANAL” and a 1:30 PM timestamp.

    • Each envelope image is paired with metadata fields that record postmark location, date, time, recipient, sender, and ancillary notes. OCR text is provided to facilitate keyword searches and content analysis.

    Scope

    The collection covers envelopes from the year 1898, though postmark dates occasionally extend to 1948, reflecting later processing or re‑postmarking. Geographic coverage includes Rosebank (Staten Island), Asbury Park (NJ), and New York City. Thematically, the collection focuses on personal correspondence, postal history, and Victorian social life. It does not include the letters themselves or any other epistolary materials; its scope is limited to the physical envelopes and their associated metadata.

    Raw Cheimarros Data

    @file_pinax:file {title: "Alice Austen Family Papers: 1898 Correspondence and Related Materials", creator: [@alice_austen, @julia_t_martin, @ed_van_rensselaer, @elizabeth_strong, @daisy, @trude_eccleston, @elizabeth_e_jenkins, @mr_white, @cw_osgood, @eleanor_e_coleman, @charles_jewett_collins, @a_w_martin, @isabella_king, @bessie_strong, @violet_m_e_ward, @julie_bredt, @caroline_m_sweet, @alice_wheelock, @walton_martin], institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1898, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Social life","Photography business","Personal relationships","Family matters","Music","Health","Travel","Weddings","Victorian-era social customs","Upper-middle-class life","Staten Island history","Health updates","Victorian-era social life","Family relationships","Illness","Recovery","Photography","Social events","Sympathy letters","Medical treatment","World's Columbian Exposition","Appendicitis","Real estate","Spiritualism","Wedding invitations","Postal history","Envelopes"], description: "A comprehensive collection of personal correspondence, calling cards, and photography‑related materials from the Austen Family Papers, spanning the year 1898. Includes letters discussing social events, personal relationships, health issues, business matters related to photography, wedding invitations and envelopes.", rights: "Public Domain", place: [@staten_island, @new_york, @newburgh_ny, @new_brunswick_nj, @santa_barbara_ca, @washington_dc, @los_angeles_ca, @fishkill_on_hudson, @boltons_landing, @albany_ny, @maine, @alaska, @fair_1893:event, @rosebank, @asbury_park, @juneau]}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen_daisy_correspondence

@file_pinax -> documents -> @elizabeth_strong_correspondence

@file_pinax -> documents -> @trude_eccleston_correspondence

@file_pinax -> documents -> @julia_martin_health_updates

@file_pinax -> documents -> @charles_collins_photography

@file_pinax -> documents -> @collection_1898:document

@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen_envelope_collection

@file_1898_letters_docx:file {type: "image/asset", format: "docx", ocr: false}

@file_1898_letters_docx -> related to -> @file_1898_letters


# SYNTHESIS: CORRESPONDENTS APPEAR IN MULTIPLE SUB‑COLLECTIONS

@ed_van_rensselaer -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@daisy -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@trude_eccleston -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@charles_jewett_collins -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@julia_t_martin -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@walton_martin -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@a_w_martin -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@bessie_strong -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@violet_m_e_ward -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@julie_bredt -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@caroline_m_sweet -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@isabella_king -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@mr_white -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@cw_osgood -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@elizabeth_e_jenkins -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@eleanor_e_coleman -> appears in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]


# SYNTHESIS: SHARED THEMES ACROSS COLLECTIONS

@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence -> themes -> [@social_life, @photography_business, @family_matters, @music]

@elizabeth_strong_correspondence -> covers -> [@social_life, @photography_business, @personal_relationships, @family_matters, @music]

@trude_eccleston_correspondence -> covers -> [@social_life, @photography_business, @family_matters, @music, @health, @travel, @weddings, @victorian_social_customs]

@julia_martin_health_updates -> covers -> [@health, @family_matters, @photography_business, @social_life]

@charles_collins_photography -> covers -> [@photography_business, @social_life, @family_matters, @music, @health, @travel, @weddings, @victorian_social_customs]

@collection_1898 -> covers -> [@weddings, @social_life, @family_matters, @photography_business, @music, @health, @travel, @victorian_social_customs]

@alice_austen_envelope_collection -> covers -> [@postal_history, @social_life, @travel]


# SYNTHESIS: KEY EVENTS LINKED THROUGH CORRESPONDENCE

@julia_martin_appendicitis:event -> mentioned in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@fair_1893:event -> referenced by -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

@spiritualism:event {description: "Seance invitation"} -> referenced in -> [@alice_austen_daisy_correspondence, @elizabeth_strong_correspondence, @trude_eccleston_correspondence, @julia_martin_health_updates, @charles_collins_photography, @collection_1898]

    Metadata

    Title
    Alice Austen Family Papers: 1898 Correspondence and Related Materials
    Type
    Collection
    Creator
    Alice AustenJulia T. MartinE.D. Van RensselaerElisabeth B. StrongDaisyTrude EcclestonElizabeth E. JenkinsMR WhiteCW OsgoodEleanor E ColemanCharles Jewett CollinsA.W. MartinIsabella KingBessie StrongViolet M.E. WardJulie BredtCaroline M SweetAlice S WheelockWalton Martin
    Institution
    Alice Austen House
    Created
    1898
    Language
    en
    Subjects
    Correspondence, Personal letters, Social life, Photography business, Personal relationships, Family matters, Music, Health, Travel, Weddings, Victorian-era social customs, Upper-middle-class life, Staten Island history, Health updates, Victorian-era social life, Family relationships, Illness, Recovery, Photography, Social events, Sympathy letters, Medical treatment, Photography, Victorian social life, Family correspondence, Health and illness, Social events, Photography business, Personal relationships, Music, Family matters, World's Columbian Exposition, Appendicitis, Travel, Real estate, Spiritualism, Wedding invitations, Personal correspondence, Postal history, Envelopes
    Rights
    Public Domain
    Place
    Staten Island, NY, New York, NY, Newburgh, NY, New Brunswick, NJ, Santa Barbara, CA, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, CA, Fishkill-on-Hudson, NY, Bolton's Landing, NY, Albany, NY, Maine, Alaska, World's Columbian Exposition, Rosebank, Staten Island, NY, Asbury Park, NJ, Juneau, Alaska
    Source
    PINAX

    Files (1)

    1898-letters.docxVND.OPENXMLFORMATS-OFFICEDOCUMENT.WORDPROCESSINGML.DOCUMENT
    1.15 MB

    Version History (10 versions)

    • ✓ v12 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:57:05 PM
      "Added description"
    • v11 · 12/9/2025, 9:24:05 PM · View this version
      "Added knowledge graph extraction"
    • v10 · 12/9/2025, 8:06:02 PM · View this version
      "Added PINAX metadata"
    • v9 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:22 PM · View this version
      "Reorganized into 7 groups"
    • v8 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:21 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC2A22092JR6JC9J34SSXZ7S"
    • v7 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:19 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC2A20DPDRJV4542M9R54VST"
    • v6 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:18 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC2A1Z0W79JF6Z1ZVTXPJW8V"
    • v5 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:16 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC2A1WPZF96VVWWY88YM25YA"
    • v4 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:14 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC2A1VC83F6DN02Y8JYDC3BM"
    • v3 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:13 PM · View this version
      "Added child entity 01KC2A1SZSKGC9N4A3XVSRX4JH"

    More versions available (pagination not yet implemented)

    Additional Components

    reorganization-description.txt
    # Reorganization Summary

The files were organized primarily by correspondent, with special attention to key themes like Julia Martin's health crisis and Daisy's affectionate letters. Envelopes were grouped separately as physical artifacts. The wedding invitations form a distinct social category. The unprocessed Word document remains ungrouped due to lack of accessible content.

## Groups Created

- **Daisy_Correspondence**: Letters from Daisy expressing concern for Alice's mother's health and personal affection
- **Elizabeth_Strong_Correspondence**: Letters from Elisabeth B. Strong regarding Alice's mother's illness and social updates
- **Julia_Martin_Health_Updates**: Correspondence about Julia Martin's appendicitis surgery and recovery, including letters from Eleanor Coleman and Amy Martin
- **Charles_Collins_Photography**: Letters from Charles Jewett Collins regarding photography techniques and his cottage in Maine
- **Trude_Eccleston_Correspondence**: Social updates and personal news from Trude Eccleston
- **Wedding_Invitations**: Social announcements including wedding invitations
- **Envelopes**: Standalone envelope images with postal markings

    Parent

    ↑ 01KC260NRT5CT0JJNXBYT511ND

    Children (7)