Alice Austen Correspondence with Henry Gilman
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:44:32 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:33:19 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen Correspondence with Henry Gilman
Overview
This collection comprises a series of handwritten letters written by Henry Gilman to Elizabeth Alice Austen between 1892 and 1898. The materials are digitized as high‑resolution JPEG scans of the originals, accompanied by OCR‑derived text files. The letters are written in English and capture the social, personal, and health‑related concerns of two friends living in late‑Victorian New York.Background
Henry Gilman, a correspondent and friend of Austen, maintained regular contact with her during a period when Austen was establishing herself as a pioneering photographer in Staten Island. The letters were preserved by the Alice Austen House Museum and are part of the broader Austen Family Papers (MS 1). They reflect the cultural milieu of the era, referencing prominent New York venues such as Hotel New York, Holland House, and Madison Square Garden, as well as local locales like Clifton and 144 Broadway.Contents
The collection contains two representative letters dated July 1892 (letters 1892‑7‑1001 and 1892‑7‑1002). The first invites Austen to visit the “highest‑priced hotel” in New York and to remember Mrs. A. The second discusses a dinner at Holland House, the cost per head, and a planned visit to Madison Square Garden for a Wagner performance. Both letters mention the heat of the season and compare Clifton to 144 Broadway. In addition to the scanned images, the OCR files provide typed transcriptions of the handwritten text. The collection is organized chronologically, with each letter stored in its own folder and accompanied by metadata indicating date, place, and subject.Scope
The collection covers correspondence from 1892 to 1898, focusing on social life, health, and personal matters between Austen and Gilman. It includes references to New York social venues, local Staten Island neighborhoods, and broader Victorian cultural events. The materials are limited to letters from Gilman to Austen and do not include responses or other correspondence. The collection offers a window into the social networks and daily concerns of upper‑middle‑class Staten Island residents during the late 19th century.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island}
@henry_gilman:person {occupation: "correspondent"}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@clifton:place {neighborhood: "Clifton", borough: @staten_island, city: @new_york}
@holland_house:place {type: "hotel", location: @new_york}
@144_broadway:place {address: "144 Broadway", city: @new_york}
@letter_1892_7_1001:document {type: "letter", author: @henry_gilman, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1892, content_summary: "Henry expresses desire to see Alice, mentions staying at the highest priced hotel in New York, asks to remember Mrs. A., invites her to visit Thursday or Friday"}
@letter_1892_7_1002:document {type: "letter", author: @henry_gilman, recipient: @alice_austen, date: @date_1892, content_summary: "Henry mentions dinner at Holland House costing $1.25 per head, comments on heat, compares Clifton to 144 Broadway, invites Alice to Madison Square Garden Wagner night"}
@alice_austen_correspondence_with_henry_gilman:collection {creator: @henry_gilman, institution: "Alice Austen House", start_year: @date_1892, end_year: @date_1898, description: "Correspondence between Alice Austen and Henry Gilman"}
@alice_austen_correspondence_with_henry_gilman -> contains -> @letter_1892_7_1001
@alice_austen_correspondence_with_henry_gilman -> contains -> @letter_1892_7_1002
@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen_correspondence_with_henry_gilman:collection
@file_1892_7_henry_gilman_undated_1001_copy_jpg -> is OCR of -> @letter_1892_7_1001
@file_1892_7_henry_gilman_undated_1002_copy_jpg -> is OCR of -> @letter_1892_7_1002
@letter_1892_7_1001 -> mentions -> @hotel_new_york:place {description: "the highest priced place in New York"}
@letter_1892_7_1002 -> mentions -> @holland_house
@letter_1892_7_1002 -> mentions -> @madison_square_garden:place
@letter_1892_7_1002 -> mentions -> @clifton
@letter_1892_7_1002 -> mentions -> @144_broadway
@date_1866
@date_1952
@date_1892
@date_1898Metadata
Files (2)
OCR Text
without wine or cigars—I maintain that I can do it. I am at that hotel which is the highest priced place in New York. Please remember me to Mrs. A. if she is ever with you, and write us by return mail if you can, which might be convenient. Yours as always, Atty. My dear Miss Austin— I am awfully glad to know that you are back again—it was so long since I heard from you that I began to fear you were ill. I want awfully to come down to see you. I can come either Thursday or Friday this week would you mind dropping
OCR Text
are to drive in town at the Holland House. My cousin Dr. Thompson this winter very sick, I wish earnestly there was some way by which you could join the party. I know few women enjoy it because it is a Dutch treat and I am understanding to mean a dinner that shall be satisfactory and not cost over $1.25 per head. me a line to let me know if you will be free either of those evenings & if not name one next week. Isn't this heat something awful? Perhaps you don't feel it as I do, & it probably is cooler at Clifton than at 144 Broadway. We are going again to the Madison Square Garden tomorrow night (Wagner night). We
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:44:32 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:44:25 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:51:02 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:33:19 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Correspondence_Henry_Gilman"
Parent
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