Henry Gilman Correspondence Collection
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:47:18 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:33:42 PM
Added description
Description
Henry Gilman Correspondence Collection (March 18 1893)
Overview
This collection comprises two handwritten letters written by Henry Gilman to Elizabeth Alice Austen on March 18, 1893. The letters are preserved as scanned JPEG images (≈2 MB each) and are part of the Austen Family Papers housed at the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York. The correspondence is written in English and reflects everyday Victorian social concerns—sending a package, preparing tea, and sharing a small kite.Background
Henry Gilman was a contemporary of Alice Austen, a prominent Staten Island photographer. The letters were sent from Staten Island and were intended for Austen’s upcoming visit. They illustrate the friendly, informal exchanges common among the island’s upper‑middle‑class residents during the late nineteenth century. The collection is catalogued under the Alice Austen House’s archival holdings and is accessible through the museum’s digital portal.Contents
- Letter 1 (Page 1) – Discusses the dispatch of a small package, the preparation of tea, and a brief mention of a kite.
- Letter 2 (Page 2) – Continues the conversation, offering well‑wishes for Austen’s visit and expressing hope for a future meeting.
Scope
The collection covers a single date (March 18, 1893) and is limited to two pages of personal correspondence. It represents a snapshot of Victorian social life in Staten Island, focusing on everyday pleasures such as tea and kite‑playing. The material is specific to the relationship between Henry Gilman and Alice Austen and does not extend beyond this brief exchange.Raw Cheimarros Data
@henry_gilman:person {full_name: "Henry Gilman"}
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}
@alice_austen_house:organization {type: "museum", location: @staten_island}
@henry_gilman_correspondence:collection {creator: @henry_gilman, institution: @alice_austen_house, start_date: @date_1893_03_18, description: "Correspondence from Henry Gilman to Alice Austen, discussing a package, tea, and kites."}
@letter_1893_03_18_1:document {title: "Letter from Henry Gilman to Alice Austen (March 18, 1893) – Part 1", topics: ["package", "tea", "kites"], when: @date_1893_03_18}
@letter_1893_03_18_2:document {title: "Letter from Henry Gilman to Alice Austen (March 18, 1893) – Part 2", topics: ["package", "tea", "kites"], when: @date_1893_03_18}
@file_pinax:file {title: "Henry Gilman Correspondence Collection"}
@file_1893_3_18_henry_gilman_march_18001_copy_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "Scanned page 1 of Henry Gilman's March 18, 1893 letter"}
@file_1893_3_18_henry_gilman_march_18002_copy_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "Scanned page 2 of Henry Gilman's March 18, 1893 letter"}
@henry_gilman -> wrote -> @letter_1893_03_18_1
@henry_gilman -> wrote -> @letter_1893_03_18_2
@letter_1893_03_18_1 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@letter_1893_03_18_2 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen
@letter_1893_03_18_1 -> part of -> @henry_gilman_correspondence
@letter_1893_03_18_2 -> part of -> @henry_gilman_correspondence
@file_1893_3_18_henry_gilman_march_18001_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1893_03_18_1
@file_1893_3_18_henry_gilman_march_18002_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1893_03_18_2
@file_pinax -> documents -> @henry_gilman_correspondenceMetadata
Files (2)
1893_3-18-Henry Gilman march 18001 copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Dear Miss Austin, I hope before you go away you will receive a little package which I have ordered sent to you today—but if it is delayed on the journey you will have something to anticipate on your return home. One of the first
1893_3-18-Henry Gilman march 18002 copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
in making food tea. so I have boiling water. JK like kites I have sent you is not very big but then you don't want to be kept in hot water all the time. I have not had it worked so it can be changed for another, if you don't like this one. It can. It would later. In case I should not see you again before you leave, I hope you will have a pleasant visit & that I shall see you soon after your return. As always Yours H.K. March 18.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:47:18 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:50:01 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:52:07 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:33:42 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Henry Gilman Correspondence"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)