Julia Martin Correspondence Collection

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:49:56 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:36:08 PM

Added description

Description

Julia C. Martin Correspondence Collection (1894)

Overview

This digital collection comprises scanned images of handwritten letters written by Julia C. Martin to her friend and photographer Alice Austen during the year 1894. The material is presented as JPEG scans accompanied by OCR‑derived text and metadata. The collection is part of the Austen Family Papers (MS1) housed at the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York.

Background

Julia C. Martin (Staten Island resident) was a close friend of Alice Austen (1866‑1952). In 1894 Martin was planning to establish a boarding house in Santa Barbara, California, and her letters chronicle that venture, her travel difficulties, and her social network. The correspondence reflects the broader context of late‑Victorian upper‑middle‑class life, including references to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, photography commerce, and contemporary social events.

The collection contains 15 scanned letter images (e.g., “1894_7‑17‑July 3001‑martin copy.jpg”) and their OCR transcriptions. Each letter is dated between July 8 and August 31, 1894, and is addressed to Alice Austen. The letters discuss:

Martin’s plans to open a boarding house at 1624 Garden St., Santa Barbara, including rent and room rates;
Travel challenges such as railroad shutdowns and mail delays;
Personal relationships with friends and family (e.g., Mr. Melville, Mrs. Cooper, Julia Robinson);
Alice Austen’s photography business and sales of images from the World’s Columbian Exposition;
References to local events, weather, and the Santa Fe mountains.

Metadata records the collection’s creator, institution, creation date, language, and subjects such as “Victorian social life,” “boarding houses,” and “19th‑century American life.”

Scope

The collection covers personal correspondence from July to August 1894, exclusively letters from Julia Martin to Alice Austen. It focuses on Martin’s California venture, travel, and social network, and does not include letters from other correspondents or other years. The material is suitable for researchers interested in late‑19th‑century social history, women's entrepreneurship, and the photographic milieu of the Alice Austen House.

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@julia_martin:person {full_name: "Julia C. Martin", residence: @staten_island_ny, relationship: "friend of Alice Austen"}

@staten_island_ny:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@california:place {country: @united_states}

@santa_barbara:place {state: @california, country: @united_states}

@garden_st_1624:place {address: "1624 Garden St.", city: @santa_barbara}

@julia_martin_collection:collection {title: "Julia Martin Correspondence Collection", creator: @julia_martin, created: @date_1894, description: "Personal letters from Julia C. Martin to Alice Austen in 1894"}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @julia_martin_collection

@letter_july_17_1894:document {author: @julia_martin, recipient: @alice_austen, when: @date_1894_07_17, description: "Letter discussing boarding‑house plans in Santa Barbara"}

@file_1894_7_17_july_3001_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_17_1894

@file_1894_7_17_july_3002_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_17_1894

@file_1894_7_17_july_3003_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_17_1894

@file_1894_7_17_july_3004_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_17_1894

@letter_july_8_1894:document {author: @julia_martin, recipient: @alice_austen, when: @date_1894_07_08, description: "Letter describing travel difficulties, railroad tie‑up and life in Santa Barbara"}

@file_1894_7_8_july_1002_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_8_1894

@file_1894_7_8_july_1003_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_8_1894

@file_1894_7_8_july_1004_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_8_1894

@file_1894_7_8_july_1005_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_july_8_1894

@letter_aug_31_1894:document {author: @julia_martin, recipient: @alice_austen, when: @date_1894_08_31, description: "Letter detailing house layout, room rentals and mountain fire sightings"}

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5002_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5003_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5004_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5005_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5006_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5007_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5008_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@file_1894_8_31_aug_5009_martin_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_aug_31_1894

@julia_martin -> corresponded with -> @alice_austen {start: @date_1894, end: @date_1894}

@boarding_house_santa_barbara:concept {owner: @julia_martin, location: @santa_barbara, status: "planned", rent_year: "$1200", room_price: "$28"}

@julia_martin -> plans -> @boarding_house_santa_barbara

@photography_business:concept {owner: @alice_austen, activity: "selling photographs"}

@alice_austen -> runs -> @photography_business

@worlds_columbian_exposition_1893:event {name: "World's Columbian Exposition", year: @date_1893}

@alice_austen -> sold photographs from -> @worlds_columbian_exposition_1893

@mr_melville:person {status: "engaged"}

@julia_martin -> mentions -> @mr_melville

@mr_mc_henry:person {}

@julia_martin -> mentions -> @mr_mc_henry

@mr_lopez:person {}

@julia_martin -> mentions -> @mr_lopez

@mrs_cooper:person {}

@julia_martin -> mentions -> @mrs_cooper

@mrs_lively:person {}

@julia_martin -> mentions -> @mrs_lively

@mrs_smively:person {}

@julia_martin -> mentions -> @mrs_smively

@mr_howard:person {}

@julia_martin -> mentions -> @mr_howard

Metadata

Title: Julia Martin Correspondence Collection
Type: Collection
Creator: Julia C. Martin
Institution: Alice Austen House
Created: 1894
Language: en
Subjects: Personal correspondence, Victorian social life, Boarding houses, Santa Barbara, California, Family relationships, Photography, Travel, 19th century American life
Place: Santa Barbara, California, Staten Island, New York
Source: PINAX

Version History (4 versions)

✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:49:56 PM
"Added description"
v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:59:23 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction"
v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:54:06 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata"
v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:36:08 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Julia_Martin_Letters"

Additional Components (16)

Click to expand and load individual components

1894_7-17-July 3001-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_7-17-July 3002-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_7-17-July 3003-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_7-17-July 3004-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_7-8-July 1002-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_7-8-July 1003-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_7-8-July 1004-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_7-8-July 1005-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5002-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5003-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5004-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5005-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5006-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5007-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5008-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

1894_8-31-Aug 5009-martin copy.jpg.ref.json

Parent

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