Lou Richards Correspondence to Alice Austen
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:48:03 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:33:20 PM
Added description
Description
Lou Richards Correspondence to Alice Austen (April 14, 1893)
Overview
This collection comprises a single handwritten letter written by Lou Richards to his friend, photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen, on April 14, 1893. The letter has been digitized as three high‑resolution JPEG scans, each accompanied by OCR text. It is catalogued under the Alice Austen House Museum’s “Lou Richards Correspondence” series and is available through the museum’s digital portal.Background
Lou Richards, a resident of Cambridge, New York, maintained a close friendship with Austen, who lived on Staten Island. The letter reflects the social and professional ties of late‑Victorian New York society, where personal correspondence often served as a conduit for arranging visits, sharing news, and discussing shared interests such as photography. The document is part of the museum’s broader effort to preserve Austen’s personal papers and the network of acquaintances who supported her early career.Contents
The letter invites Austen to visit Cambridge on April 19, 1893, proposing travel by the 10 o’clock Shore Line train. Richards outlines several social activities planned for her stay, including a dinner, a tennis match at the local Casino, and a gathering with friends named “Gary & Nikisch, Peter & Sport.” He also mentions Carrie Hankey, who had recently returned from Easter week, and expresses enthusiasm for a photographic session together. The tone is informal and affectionate, concluding with the customary “Haste’s regards & my love” and Richards’ signature (“Faithfully, affectionately, for A.R.”).Scope
The collection covers a single date—April 14, 1893—and is geographically bounded to Cambridge, New York, and Staten Island, New York. It focuses on personal correspondence, social planning, and the intersection of friendship and early photographic practice. The digitized images provide a visual record of the letter’s original hand‑written script, while the OCR offers searchable text for researchers. This item is a valuable snapshot of the social milieu surrounding Alice Austen’s formative years as a photographer.Raw Cheimarros Data
@lou_richards:person {full_name: "Lou Richards"}
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}
@julia_t_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", relationship: "close friend", location: @albany}
@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", role: "photograph buyer"}
@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong"}
@carrie_hankey:person {full_name: "Carrie Hankey"}
@cambridge:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@file_pinax:file {filename: "pinax.json", type: "Metadata (PINAX)"}
@lou_richards_correspondence:collection {title: "Lou Richards Correspondence to Alice Austen", creator: @lou_richards, recipient: @alice_austen, created: @date_1893_04_14, description: "Letters from Lou Richards to Alice Austen in April 1893 discussing plans for a visit, social activities, and personal matters.", subjects: ["Personal correspondence", "Social life", "Victorian era", "Friendship", "Travel", "Photography"]}
@lou_richards_correspondence -> documented by -> @file_pinax
@letter_april_14_1893:document {date: @date_1893_04_14, author: @lou_richards, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @cambridge}
@lou_richards -> wrote -> @letter_april_14_1893
@alice_austen -> received -> @letter_april_14_1893
@file_1893_4_14_april_2_1_lou_copy_jpg:file {filename: "1893_4-14-April 2.1-Lou copy.jpg.ref.json", type: "Image/Asset with OCR"} -> depicts -> @letter_april_14_1893
@file_1893_4_14_april_2_2_lou_copy_jpg:file {filename: "1893_4-14-April 2.2-Lou copy.jpg.ref.json", type: "Image/Asset with OCR"} -> depicts -> @letter_april_14_1893
@file_1893_4_14_april_2_3_lou_copy_jpg:file {filename: "1893_4-14-April 2.3-Lou copy.jpg.ref.json", type: "Image/Asset with OCR"} -> depicts -> @letter_april_14_1893
@visit:concept {description: "Invitation for Alice Austen to visit Cambridge", proposed_date: @date_1893_04_19, transport: "Shore Line train"}
@letter_april_14_1893 -> proposes -> @visit
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @carrie_hankey
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @alice_austen
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @lou_richards
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @cambridge
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @staten_island
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @carrie_hankey
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @carrie_hankey
@letter_april_14_1893 -> mentions -> @carrie_hankey
---Metadata
Files (3)
OCR Text
Put Januins in short clothes. I have been hesitating about writing to you in one way for I can do so little for you but I am sure you won't mind that & will peg around & amuse yourself. You see my strength has not come back yet & that means a good deal when you 3 Channing Street April 14th, 1893 Dear Alice, I suppose you have been wondering what I have meant—not writing to you before—but you know what Spring means so you can understand that I am pretty busy nowadays especially as I have
OCR Text
have much to do—if you can put up with nothing, I shall hope to see you arrive soon in Cambridge. I am wild to get hold of you, and you need not fear trying my strength by coming for I will make no difference at all with you, & you will be a great comfort to me. How about setting the day for you to come? Can you come next Wednesday the 19th or a fortnight? If that is too short notice come later, but I want you as soon as I can—Let me know & I will write to some of the other girls & call on you. The 10 o'clock Shore Line train is the best, but you can suit yourself in that—I want you to take a picture of the Gary & Nikisch, Peter & Sport together. We will have some fun
OCR Text
dining & playing Tennis at the Casino, so bring your fighting rig—they have splendid dirt courts, & in a quiet way I think you & I can have a beautiful time—I know I shall. Carrie Hankey was with me Easter week & I enjoyed it hugely. I shall wait impatiently to hear when you will come. Haste's regards & my love— Faithfully, affectionately, for A.R.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:48:03 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:51:03 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:52:31 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:33:20 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Lou_Richards_Correspondence"
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