1893_12-16-dec 2001-marsh copy.jpg

Mary T. Welch Correspondence Collection

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:46:23 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:33:21 PM

Added description

Description

Mary T. Welch Correspondence Collection (1883‑1898)

Overview

A digitized archive of handwritten letters, invitations, and related ephemera sent by Mary T. Welch to Elizabeth Alice Austen. The collection spans 1883‑1898 and is organized into year‑based folders. Each folder contains high‑resolution JPG scans of the originals, OCR‑derived text files, and, where available, typed transcriptions. The material is housed at the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York.

Background

Mary T. Welch was a contemporary and close friend of photographer Alice Austen. Their correspondence offers a window into late‑Victorian social networks in the New York metropolitan area, particularly among the upper‑middle‑class families of Staten Island. The collection was assembled by the museum to preserve Welch’s personal reflections, invitations, and business dealings, and reflects the broader cultural milieu of the era.

Contents

  • Personal Letters: 1883‑1898 letters addressed to Austen, including invitations to social events (e.g., the 16 December 1893 invitation to the Bowling Alley).
  • Social Notes: Brief notes such as “Miss Ruth” from Rockhampton, N.C., referencing Catawba Island.
  • Business Correspondence: Mentions of photography sales, including a transaction with Isabella King, a photograph buyer.
  • Calling Cards & Negative Sleeves: Victorian‑era social cards and photography‑related materials.
  • Notable Correspondents: Julia T. Martin (Albany), Julie Bredt, Violet M.E. Ward, Bessie Strong, and others.

Scope

The collection covers the period 1883‑1898, focusing on social life, photography commerce, and personal relationships within the Staten Island community. Geographic references extend to Rockhampton and Catawba Island in North Carolina. The archive contains only letters sent to Alice Austen; it does not include Austen’s own correspondence or other contemporaneous documents.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {title: "Mary T. Welch Correspondence Collection", creator: @mary_t_welch, institution: @alice_austen_house_museum, created: @date_1893_12_16, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Social invitations","Victorian-era social life","Staten Island history"], description: "A collection of correspondence from Mary T. Welch to Alice Austen, including an invitation to spend an evening in the Bowling Alley.", place: [@staten_island_ny, @rockhampton_n_c, @catawba_island]

@mary_t_welch_correspondence_collection:collection {creator: @mary_t_welch, institution: @alice_austen_house_museum, start: @date_1883, end: @date_1898, description: "Correspondence from Mary T. Welch to Alice Austen (1883‑1898)"}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @mary_t_welch_correspondence_collection

@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island_ny}

@mary_t_welch:person {full_name: "Mary T. Welch"}

@alice_austen_house_museum:organization {location: @staten_island_ny, type: "museum"}

@staten_island_ny:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}

@rockhampton_n_c:place {state: "North Carolina", country: @united_states}

@catawba_island:place {state: "North Carolina", country: @united_states}

@date_1866
@date_1952
@date_1883
@date_1898
@date_1893_12_16

@file_1893_12_16_dec_2002_marsh_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@letter_1893_12_16:document {title: "Invitation to Bowling Alley", author: @mary_t_welch, recipient: @alice_austen, when: @date_1893_12_16, content: "Will you spend Monday evening, the 16th with us in the Bowling Alley?"}

@file_1893_12_16_dec_2002_marsh_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_1893_12_16

@mary_t_welch -> wrote -> @letter_1893_12_16 {when: @date_1893_12_16, to: @alice_austen, subject: "Invitation"}

@letter_1893_12_16 -> mentions -> @bowling_alley:place {type: "recreation venue"}

@bowling_alley:place {description: "Venue referenced in Mary T. Welch's invitation"}

@file_1893_12_16_dec_2001_marsh_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@miss_ruth_note:document {title: "Miss Ruth Note", content: "Miss Ruth\nRockhampton, N.C.\nCatawba Island."}

@file_1893_12_16_dec_2001_marsh_copy_jpg -> documents -> @miss_ruth_note

@miss_ruth:person {full_name: "Miss Ruth", location: @rockhampton_n_c}

@miss_ruth_note -> authored by -> @miss_ruth

@julia_t_martin:person {full_name: "Julia T. Martin", relationship: "close friend", residence: @albany_ny}
@julie_bredt:person {full_name: "Julie Bredt", relationship: "correspondent"}
@violet_m_e_ward:person {full_name: "Violet M.E. Ward", relationship: "correspondent"}
@isabella_king:person {full_name: "Isabella King", relationship: "photograph buyer"}
@bessie_strong:person {full_name: "Bessie Strong", relationship: "correspondent"}

@albany_ny:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}

Metadata

Files (2)

1893_12-16-dec 2001-marsh copy.jpgJPEG
320.8 KB
OCR Text

Miss Ruth Rockhampton, N.C. Catawba Island.

1893_12-16-dec 2002-marsh copy.jpgJPEG
1.11 MB
OCR Text

My dear Alice, Will you spend Monday evening, the 16th with us in the Bowling Alley? Sincerely your friend, Mary T. Welch.

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:46:23 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:48:03 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:51:43 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:33:21 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Mary_Welch_Correspondence"

Parent

01KC29F9YB806CTR8NHCPQ3S6D

No children (leaf entity)