Austen Family Papers (MS1) - Alice Austen Correspondence and Related Materials, 1883-1898

PI

Version: 11 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:55:55 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:30:10 PM

Added description

Description

Austen Family Papers (MS1) – Alice Austen Correspondence and Related Materials, 1883‑1898

Overview

This digitized collection comprises the personal correspondence and ancillary materials of Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) and her extended family, covering the years 1883 to 1898. Organized into fifteen year‑based folders, each folder contains high‑resolution JPEG scans of handwritten letters, envelopes, calling cards, and negative sleeves, accompanied by typed transcriptions. The collection is housed at the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York, and was digitized by the PINAX project.

Background

Alice Austen was a pioneering American photographer whose practice blended artistic portraiture with commercial sales. The Austen Family Papers document her domestic, social, and professional life within an upper‑middle‑class Staten Island milieu. Correspondence was maintained with friends, relatives, business associates, and clients across New York, New Jersey, and beyond, reflecting Victorian social customs, mourning practices, and consumer culture.

Contents

  • Personal Letters – 1,200+ pages of handwritten correspondence with close friends such as Julia T. Martin, Violet M.E. Ward, and Elizabeth B. Strong, as well as family members.
  • Business Correspondence – Letters concerning the sale of photographs (including images from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition), legal matters, and the 1894 purchase of a Steinway piano.
  • Sympathy and Mourning Letters – A set of condolence letters (April 1894) addressing the death of Austen’s grandfather.
  • Calling Cards & Negative Sleeves – Victorian‑era social cards and photography‑related artifacts.
  • Geographic Reach – References to Staten Island, Brooklyn, New York City, Albany, Schenectady, San Francisco, Colorado Springs, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Scope

The collection spans 1883‑1898, encompassing personal, social, and commercial dimensions of Austen’s life. It is limited to written documents and associated physical artifacts; photographs, receipts, and other business records are held in separate Austen Family Papers collections. The material offers a comprehensive view of Victorian‑era social networks, business practices, and the early professional life of a pioneering female photographer.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@date_1883:date_1883  

@date_1898:date_1898  

@new_brunswick_nj:place {city: "New Brunswick", state: @new_jersey, country: @united_states}  

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @austen_family_papers_ms1:collection {start: @date_1883, end: @date_1898, language: "en"}  

@austen_family_papers_ms1 -> created by -> [@alice_austen, @julia_t_martin, @elizabeth_strong, @isabella_king, @violet_ward, @hd_wright, @bessie_lommeud, @elizabeth_tolman, @mary_pratt, @julie_bredt, @fredrick_e_powell, @adrian_e_jones, @patrick_e_jones, @chas_rice_and_weston, @frederick_c_lewis]  

@austen_family_papers_ms1 -> includes -> [@photography_business, @victorian_social_life, @steinway_piano, @sympathy_letters_collection, @alice_isabella_correspondence, @alice_austen_piano_business_correspondence]  

@austen_family_papers_ms1 -> mentions place -> [@staten_island, @schenectady, @albany, @san_francisco, @riverdale, @new_brunswick_nj, @colorado_springs_co, @university_place, @clifton, @east_orange, @bethlehem, @arany, @new_york, @brooklyn_ny, @providence_rhode_island, @halew_island]  

@alice_austen -> participated in -> @photography_business  

@alice_austen -> sold photographs from -> @worlds_columbian_exposition_1893  

@alice_austen -> purchased -> @steinway_piano  

@alice_austen -> engaged in -> @victorian_social_life  

@alice_austen -> recipient of -> @sympathy_letters_collection  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @julia_t_martin  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @elizabeth_strong  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @isabella_king  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @violet_ward  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @hd_wright  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @bessie_lommeud  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @elizabeth_tolman  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @mary_pratt  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @julie_bredt  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @fredrick_e_powell  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @adrian_e_jones  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @patrick_e_jones  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @chas_rice_and_weston  

@alice_austen -> corresponded with -> @frederick_c_lewis  

Metadata

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v11 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:55:55 PM
    "Added description"
  • v10 · 12/9/2025, 9:20:39 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v9 · 12/9/2025, 8:03:02 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v8 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:22 PM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 6 groups"
  • v7 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:21 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC29TQR4BPS2W25HNVP3R7V2"
  • v6 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:20 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC29TPA4894DP1FCQCN9ZRDK"
  • v5 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:18 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC29TMWMXQZQ50HCK77HMVK4"
  • v4 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:16 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC29TK13D1QXVSYX1Q114ZR9"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:15 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC29THF5383X5J535JVN8SMQ"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:13 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KC29TFXM9GD2051NE6H52HPX"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were organized primarily by content type and correspondent. Personal letters were grouped by sender (Julia Martin, Elizabeth Strong), business correspondence was divided by subject (photography orders, piano inquiries), and sympathy letters about the grandfather's death formed their own thematic group. Miscellaneous business letters that didn't fit other categories were grouped separately. This approach maintains consistency with the collection's existing organizational structure while creating meaningful thematic groupings.

## Groups Created

- **Personal_Letters_Julia_Martin**: Correspondence from Julia Martin discussing social activities, school visits, and personal plans
- **Personal_Letters_Elizabeth_Strong**: Letters from Elizabeth Strong discussing social events, family news, and reactions to current events
- **Photography_Business_Isabella_King**: Business correspondence regarding photo orders and payments from Isabella King
- **Sympathy_Letters_Grandfathers_Death**: Condolence letters regarding the death of Alice Austen's grandfather in April 1894
- **Piano_Business_Correspondence**: Letters regarding piano purchases and technical advice
- **Miscellaneous_Business_Letters**: Other business correspondence not related to photography or pianos

Parent

01KC261TMKT8PASGBZ24SM84N0

Children (6)