Alice Austen Photography Business Correspondence 1896
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:51:47 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:37:19 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen Photography Business Correspondence 1896
Overview
This digital collection contains the correspondence related to Elizabeth Alice Austen’s photography business during the year 1896. The materials include handwritten letters, a postcard, and typed transcriptions, all preserved by the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York. The items are organized by date and place, reflecting the geographic reach of Austen’s clientele.Background
Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer based in Staten Island. In 1896 she operated a commercial studio, selling portraits and event photographs. The letters in this collection document her interactions with clients, friends, and family, illustrating the business practices and social networks of a Victorian‑era photographer.Contents
The collection contains five primary items: * A postcard dated 19 October 1896 from Kingston, Canada, addressed to Miss Anderson (Alice Austen). * Two letters from Jane Allen of Kingston, dated 19 October 1896, requesting additional copies of photographs and discussing the delivery of images from the house and packer’s store sale. * Two letters from Lolla of Fishkill on Hudson, dated 30 December 1896, thanking Austen for photographs, noting their safe arrival, and sharing personal updates on health and family.Each item is accompanied by a scanned image of the original and a typed transcription. The correspondence references social events, the condition of photographs upon delivery, and the broader context of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, indicating the influence of contemporary cultural events on Austen’s work.
Scope
The collection covers the year 1896 and includes correspondence from three geographic locations: Staten Island (New York), Kingston (Canada), and Fishkill on Hudson (New York). It focuses on business‑related communication—orders, deliveries, and client relations—while also providing glimpses of Austen’s social milieu. The materials are limited to the 1896 period and represent a snapshot of her commercial activities and client interactions during that year.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", location: @staten_island}
@alice_austen_photography_business_correspondence_1896:collection {title: "Alice Austen Photography Business Correspondence 1896", creator: @alice_austen, institution: "Alice Austen House", created: @date_1896, subjects: ["Photography business", "Victorian-era correspondence", "Social life", "World's Columbian Exposition"], places: [@staten_island, @kingston, @fishkill_on_hudson]}
@staten_island:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}
@kingston:place {country: @canada}
@fishkill_on_hudson:place {state: "New York", country: @united_states}
@north_plains:place {location: "North Plains", country: @united_states}
@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"}
@jane_allen:person {full_name: "Jane Allen"}
@carla:person {full_name: "Carla"}
@lolla:person {full_name: "Lolla"}
@mrs_marches:person {full_name: "Mrs. Marches"}
@alice_andrews:person {full_name: "Alice Andrews", alias_of: @alice_austen}
@postcard_1896_10_19_kingston:document {type: "postcard", date: @date_1896_10_19, origin: @kingston, destination: @staten_island}
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2002:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1896_10_19, origin: @kingston, destination: @staten_island, subject: "photographs", request: "more copies"}
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2003:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1896_10_19, origin: @kingston, destination: @staten_island, subject: "photographs", request: "additional copies"}
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1002:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1896_12_30, origin: @fishkill_on_hudson, destination: @staten_island, subject: "photographs"}
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1003:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1896_12_30, origin: @fishkill_on_hudson, destination: @staten_island, subject: "photographs"}
@file_pinax -> documents -> @alice_austen_photography_business_correspondence_1896:collection
@postcard_1896_10_19_kingston -> part of -> @alice_austen_photography_business_correspondence_1896:collection
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2002 -> sent by -> @jane_allen
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2002 -> addressed to -> @alice_andrews
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2002 -> part of -> @alice_austen_photography_business_correspondence_1896:collection
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2003 -> sent by -> @jane_allen
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2003 -> addressed to -> @alice_andrews
@letter_1896_10_19_kingston_allen_2003 -> part of -> @alice_austen_photography_business_correspondence_1896:collection
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1002 -> sent by -> @unknown_sender
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1002 -> addressed to -> @lolla
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1002 -> part of -> @alice_austen_photography_business_correspondence_1896:collection
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1003 -> sent by -> @unknown_sender
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1003 -> addressed to -> @lolla
@letter_1896_12_30_fishkill_lolla_1003 -> part of -> @alice_austen_photography_business_correspondence_1896:collectionMetadata
Files (5)
OCR Text
Miss Alice Andrews Hockton P. Staten Island N.Y. U.S. CANADA POSTAGE 5 CENTS POST OFFICE STONINGTON NOV 18 96 CANADA
OCR Text
Oct. 19th ALWINGTON, KINGSTON. Dear Miss Ander, Mr...y, merry thank you for the photos which you so kindly sent by your niece, Mrs. Marches. I shall receive them on Saturday - we were all so pleased with them & Mr. to their capital. Would it be asking too much to ask for a few more of the house & the packer's store sale? We had to send these to friends, to those they
OCR Text
would be most acceptable. Or, if that would give you too much trouble, we have made a trade in expects by packing up for the negotiations, if they are still in existence, & be could be so thenospital here—but you have done them so well, I fear no one else would please us so much, I know. You won't think me a greedy curioscuse—please let us know if we can have more—and how many trade expects by packing up for the negotiations, if they are still in existence, & be could be so thenospital here—but you have done them so well, I fear no one else would please us so much, I know. These two are what we shall like copies of— Again thanking you—sincerely love from Carla. Today Self Your sincerely, Jane Allen
OCR Text
Fishkill on Hudson Dec. 30, 1896 My dear Lolla, Your photographs arrived safely and good condition in North Plains. One to thank so much for them and to say that they bring back to her very vividly old scenes in which she is so deeply interested, and old days—and now your work has brought back to her scenes which she was familiar with long before you were born. It is very sweet of you dear Lolla to send them. Mother has been very sick; she was taken with an attack of acute indigestion some two months ago—and never
OCR Text
fully recovered from it, at Thanksgiving time she was doing as usual, but had not really regained her strength. Then soon again she was taken in the same way and it has been my hard to bring back her digestive organs to working order. Indeed they are not in order yet. Mother watched dune sterns to deny for a little while in the first, and I hope will soon now be down for her meals—her strength is wonderful—and of course is always a great stand by in bringing her back to health again. We hope you are all well and send you our love and best wishes for a happy New Year.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:51:47 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:04:39 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:55:32 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:37:19 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Photography_Business_1896"
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